The Reluctant Princess
by abk1973
Summary: Katniss Elisabeth Anne Everdeen Přemyslid is the oldest child of Queen Lillian Anne Ottokar Přemyslid and her consort-King James Edward Richard Everdeen of the small European Country of Moravia. She is a very private individual and is considered not only elusive (most pictures are seen in costume) but also one of the most eligible catches in the world. She goes to the USA to earn h
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I started writing this in 2015 and am slowly working on it. I wasn't going to post until my other work was done but….. I had to. Anyway, I own no characters, all references to real people and places are made up and not real etcetera, etcetera. Enjoy and of course please leave a review.**

Prologue (Summer, 2015)

The release of her breath comes simultaneous with the ping of the string, followed by the slight delay in the drop of the majestic stag standing by the edge of her favorite meadow. The collapse of the stag causes the remaining herd to panic and scatter into the surrounding woods where she has been hiding in wait most of the early morning. Rising before the sun to go hunting with her father is one of her favorite things to do, unfortunately she doesn't get to do it as often as she likes. But the Earl and Countess Hawthorne and his enormous brood are visiting the Royal House of Přemyslid, so they have traveled to the country palace of Veveří Castle in order to entertain the avid outdoorsman and his older sons. The colors of early morning swirling over the lake to her left catch her attention, _beautiful_ , she sighs under her breath. This sanctuary has always been a balm for her soul, but the pressures she has been under lately have her mood weighed down even here.

"Nice shot sweetheart" the gruff voice of her Uncle breaks her silent meditation as he walks up under the tree where she is perched. Shaking herself out of the balm that was her solitude, she gracefully begins to descend the tree releasing her hold on a lower branch allowing her body to plunge the remaining height where she lands with a graceful silent thump.

"Yes, a perfect shot as always kitty" the melodious voice of her father reaches her as she walks towards her kill where her father is standing surrounded by the Earl John Hawthorne and his eldest two sons Gale and Rory.

"Nice shot Catnip" Gale praises her although his tone holds a hint of sarcasm, earning a glower from her, a pointed stare from his father and a grunt of derision from her Uncle. Katniss smirks internally at his annoyance, she had seen him sight the buck with his cross bow, and so she had quickly nocked an arrow and hit the buck first, just to piss him off.

The Earl Hawthorne lays a pointed stare at Gale. Then Rory, the Earl's second oldest child, addresses her in the appropriate manner, "You always shoot well, your Royal Highness".

Katniss Elisabeth Anne Everdeen Přemyslid is the oldest child of Queen Lillian Anne Ottokar Přemyslid and her consort-King James Edward Richard Everdeen of the small European Country of Moravia. Moravia is situated to the west of the Czech Republic and had even belonged to the slightly larger country at different periods in history. Moravia finally regained its independence through the European court system after a long fought legal battle in 1964. Although small in size, Moravia is rich in natural resources, it is home to one of the only still producing diamond mines on European soil that are not even close to being mined out. In addition Moravian Diamonds are known throughout the world as having the highest quality stones with spectacular color, flawless beauty and incredible size and come in multiple colors. More importantly the diamonds came without the guilt associated with conflict diamonds or as they are more commonly called 'Blood Diamonds'.

The Moravian mines are all owned by the Royal Family Přemyslid of Moravia. Moravia is governed and funded by the Royal family. A job in the Přemyslid Moravian Mine Company, or PMMC, is highly sought after in the mining industry. Safety standards are set and then surpassed by the PMMC making them the safest mines in the world. PMMC pays well too, from the lowliest janitor to a miner to the Chief Operating Officer; no one who worked at the mines went without basics. A small percentage of the profits went to support the Royal family since they owned the mines, but a large portion went to the population of Moravia.

Moravia is a small country where the population is happy, well cared for and very content with being governed by an actual monarchy. A civil government would have actually fared worse for the population, since the Přemyslid family legally owned the mines. If the monarchy was dissolved PMMC would become a private company and the main source of income for the country would be tax based, effectively losing the income from the mine profits. The benevolence, generosity and fairness of the Přemyslid family in sharing their profits from PMMC were the reasons why the monarchy was beloved and respected by the population of Moravia. There has never been talk of dissolution of the monarchy since the Přemyslid family was returned to power after the long-fought battle to regain their country's independence. Before that, Moravia had been forced under the rule of the Czechoslovakia, although the Přemyslid family owned the mines.

Though the royal family lost personal wealth by gaining independence for Moravia, the family believes the personal sacrifice is worth it for the health and wellness of their countrymen. The School System provides to all children in Moravia is considered excellent, so excellent that one of the boarding schools, or magnate school, takes students from other countries for a hefty fee, but is free for any Moravian child.

All of the schools, whether boarding or local day school, provide for children from the Early Years Foundation Stage (ages 3–5) to primary education (ages 5–11) to secondary education (ages 11–18). All receive three healthy meals daily and on-site health and dental care (including orthodontics). Uniforms are required and are either provided or purchased based on the child's preference. Rarely is a child found hungry or poorly clothed in Moravia.

Higher education, beyond secondary, includes several options: acceptance at one of the two Universities of Moravia, where again attendance is free if you are a Moravian citizen. Attendance at a trade school of your choosing, there are four in Moravia. The last option is attendance at a University in another country, where the country of Moravia will pick up part of the bill dependent on the income of the family. For example Gale Hawthorne attended Eaton College paid for entirely by his family, whereas Rue Johnson, the daughter of a maid in the Royal family's primary residence, Špilberk Castle, is attending Oxford University the tuition being paid entirely from the Moravian coffers.

Katniss herself had attended Oxford University and graduated last year with a degree in international relations, a very fitting major for a girl who will one day rule a country. The running of Moravia also required a significant amount of business acumen besides political savvy, so Katniss has been discussing getting a business degree with her parents.

"Whatever" Gale mumbles the word lowly that she barely catches it, but not only does she hear it but so does her Uncle Haymitch Richard Everdeen, Duke of Abernathy and Chief Operating Officer at PMMC.

"Hey Broody" her Uncle shoots over at Gale calling him by the nickname that was bequeathed upon him by the tabloids. Gale is a highly eligible bachelor in Europe and was nicknamed 'the brooding lord' by the tabloids years ago, due to his serious nature paired with his dark looks. "I know you and sweetheart here have known each other since you were both in nappies. But ever since she turned 18 five years ago and was formally crowned 'Princess Royal of Mahren' it is proper to call her 'Your Royal Highness' in mixed company."

Katniss snorts at this slightly, her Uncle never calls her 'Your Royal Highness', opting for his favorite nickname, sweetheart, which he bestowed upon her years ago in deference to her prickly nature. She bites back her sarcastic retort though, as the hunting staff is present, dressing her buck for transport back to the castle. Plus, she hates the nickname Gale gifted her with years ago, hates it. As far as she is concerned her oldest friends don't need to call her Your Royal Highness, she had a very serviceable name in Katniss. But Gale, although one of her oldest friends, is stubborn, a little snobbish and doesn't like to pay any deference to her (he was older than her dammit) therefore he refuses to call her anything but that stupid nickname he invented years earlier if he can help it.

"Yes, Your Grace" Gale acknowledged as he addresses her Uncle. "I apologize for the slight in formalities, Your Majesty" he smiles deferentially turning to bow at her father. Her father then smiles at him and then turns to have a discussion with Lord Hawthorne not noticing that the appropriate apology for Katniss has yet to be proffered.

James Everdeen had been a Duke before he became the Consort to the Crown when he married Lillian. Lillian had James crowned King a few years after they were married, the earliest she was allowed to as dictated by protocol. It is considered a great honor to crown the consort and has not always been done. James is the younger brother of her Uncle Haymitch and had been extremely fortunate to fall in love and have Lillian fall in love with him. The line of monarchy ran through Lillian, which is why James Everdeen took the Přemyslid name, as it will be when Katniss marries.

Marriage is actually one of the reasons why the Hawthorne clan is visiting. If Gale Hawthorne the Eldest Son of the Earl Hawthorne of Moravia is considered one of European Nobility's most eligible bachelors, then Katniss is considered one of the top catches in the world. She is not only heiress to one of the world's largest personal fortunes, but the first in line to the throne in a country where Royalty is not considered titular. Just last month she had been visited by Prince Harry of England, even though he was years older than her and a notorious playboy.

Queen Elizabeth called her mother requesting that Katniss and Harry meet to see if they were compatible for potential courting. So out he came to Moravia spending a month touring the countryside and getting to know Katniss and her family. Because when the Queen of England calls, titular though she may be, you answer. Katniss doesn't dislike Harry they had met several times in the past at social events; he was funny and super handsome. But he is more of a nightlife person then she is, although they both do enjoy outdoor sports. He left on affectionate terms, with promises to visit, but Katniss is sure that he isn't the one.

As soon as the nobility of Moravia and the rest of Europe caught wind of the Prince of England's visit, calls were made for similar visits with eligible sons. Soon the tabloids were sporting headlines like **'Princess Window shopping the noble elite for next consort of Moravia!'** This really isn't true; in fact Katniss is getting ready to go to back to University. Recently Katniss has been accepted at University of North Carolina in the school of Business. Her parents have agreed that while she was getting her MBA she can take classes in Landscape architecture to 'feed her soul' as her father puts it. So she has been getting ready to leave Moravia for UNC in North Carolina in the United States where she will live as Katniss Everdeen, normal student for three wonderful and hopefully anonymous years.

In the meantime, every Tom, Dick and Harry with a title have been attempting to visit Moravia and gain audience with Katniss and her parents. Although, not all had been accepted. The Earl of Hawthorne has not been an exception. As soon as his wife, the Countess Hazelle, heard that Prince Harry had been calling on Katniss she ordered her son back from his visit with his high society friends in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia. She then directly booked a visit with the Royal family with the pretense that the Hawthorne family and the Přemyslid family were due a hunting trip. To his credit, Gale only sulked for the first few days complaining that he was missing the pack of models who are recovering at his friend's villa after Paris's fashion week. The tabloids that featured first Prince Harry and then Prince Amedeo of Belgium's visits to Moravia had evidently failed to reach him on the beach in Sardinia. But as soon as Katniss mentioned their visits and the upcoming visit of the very handsome Prince Sebastien of Luxembourg, he stopped pouting and started to act like he was in love, most of the time. It has been a bit weird for her.

For their part, the Hawthorne's have always assumed that Katniss would marry from within Moravian nobility. In that department there really is not much competition, the only other eligible bachelor with a title as high as Gale's around Katniss's age, is Finnick O'Dair who is four years older than Katniss, and the son of the Earl of O'Dair. Finnick is the opposite of Gale, where Gale was Tall, Dark, Serious and Brooding; Finnick is Tall, Bronze-haired,green eyes, fair skin that tanned and full of lightness and mirth. All three of them grew up together and are very close friends. Although Finn and Gale drifting apart over the past few years has put a strain on their friendship in fact they haven't done anything as a group in at least a year. This saddens Katniss; they have always been friends, the three musketeers so to speak.

Katniss isn't certain what caused the rift between Finn and Gale; she had been away at Oxford when whatever argument occurred. Originally she thought it had something to do with the burgeoning relationship between Finn and Annie Cresta. Finn met Annie at the Summer Olympics in London, she is a gold medal swimmer from the US and he is a medal winner representing Moravia. Katniss originally thought that Annie would be another notch on the notorious playboy's belt, but that hasn't been the case. Annie rejected Finn romantically and insisted on a friendship. In response, Finn then slowly began extricating himself from the party scene and spent more time with calm, sweet Annie. Katniss had thought that Gale was upset at the loss of his partner in crime, or more accurately 'partier in crime', and that is the reason for their strained relationship. But recently she has begun to think there is something else; comments from both men have made her think there was something more behind the rift. That there had been an actual argument with words exchanged that had split the two men apart.

Katniss sneaks a surreptitious glance at her lifelong friend wondering what he is thinking behind his ruminating gaze as he pretends to be involved in the conversation taking place between her Uncle, her father and his father. Unsatisfied that she cannot decipher what he is thinking Katniss immediately becomes irritated and annoyed; _shouldn't he be trying to woo her?_ Even Prince Harry spent a considerable amount of time focusing on her and she is sure he was only there to appease his grandmother (not that she would tell Gale that). She understands that Gale knows her very well, so maybe he feels he doesn't need to take the time to get to know her, it is still irritating though. Looking around she sees her horse Lady off on the other side in the meadow accompanied by her bodyguard and quickly decides that now would be good time to go for a ride. She hastily turns to Rory, since he seems to be the only one paying attention to her, and lets him know her intentions and then determinedly strides across the meadow towards her horse.

"Your Royal Pain in My Ass", the words greet her with a smirk. "How's it going over there with tall, dark and handsome?"

"Awful", she whines pitifully, "this is so contrived its painful". Katniss rolls her eyes and scowls at Johanna Mason, her main female body guard, companion and friend. Well as much as anyone could be friends with someone that has vowed their life to serving and protecting you could be considered a friend. "He called me Catnip in front of dad, Uncle and Lord Hawthorne, I thought his dad was going to kill him with the menacing look he sent Gale. Of course Haymitch had to go and make it worse by chastising him, so of course he apologizes to everyone BUT me. Typical stubborn ass." She mutters while her annoyance begins to dissipate as the words leave her lips. It feels good to vent to someone who doesn't have a vested interest in her marriage.

"I don't understand why suddenly there is an interest in my single status? I'm only 23. Can't we just wait and let me find someone on my own, date, fall in love and then get married?" her voice huffs out and her face scowling. "All these visits are annoying as hell."

"Awww, pooor wittle pwincess, it must be awful having to put up with scores of handsome real-life princes and lords vying for your attention and hand-in-marriage. No woman alive wants that." Johanna coos at her the sarcasm dripping off her words like honey from a hive, thick and viscous.

A small smile is trying to make itself known on her lips while she fights the reaction, Katniss attempts to hold onto her scowl as long as possible. The twinkle in Johanna's eye tells her that she is losing the battle, so she finally gives in and snorts out in laughter.

"Well none of these 'handsome real-life princes and lords' would be currently courting me if it wasn't for the Queen mother. That biddy just wants to see her youngest grandson respectably married before she dies, preferably to royalty. I am pretty sure she thinks Charles will fuck it up if she leaves it to him." The chuckle that comes out of her mouth at the statement surprises even herself and the shocked look on Johanna's face turns the chuckles into giggles. "I swear as soon as it hit the tabloids that 'Prince Harry was courting me', the other vultures began descending including the Hawthorne matriarch. Gale has no interest in me; he is just here to placate his parents. This whole thing where he is suddenly courting me is ridiculous."

The splutter that Johanna emits catches her attention causing her eyes to narrow at her friend, "What?" she asks but is just answered by her friend shaking her head at her. "No come on, just say it."

"You really are brainless aren't you," her friend sighs in response to her insistence that Johanna tell her what she means.

"Gale has assumed that he will marry you for years, he never felt the **need** to court you. He assumes that you two are inevitable and all he has to do is be patient and wait for you to be ready." Johanna explains exasperation thick in her voice. "Come on, you have only had two boyfriends, your first puppy love when you were 18 and Darius Plummer from Oxford, who you liked and was nice, but everyone could tell wasn't going anywhere. Now his territory is threatened, Harry shows up, then Amedeo and everyone knows that yummy Sebastien is coming next week."

Katniss peers at her friend; Jo is 10 years older than her and has been her companion and body guard since she turned 16. Katniss knows that Johanna is more perceptive then she is, but she chooses to ignore the most important parts of her comments opting to mull those over in private later and instead comments on the last statement.

"Sebastien is yummy isn't he?" she smiles wickedly raising her eyebrows at Jo suggestively. "Those eyes and his butt, mmmhhmmmm" she licks her lips, "delicious, maybe I should consider having a little prince snack before we head to University. I might as well have a little fun if I have to endure all this 'courting'."

Jo's hearty laugh is contagious and Katniss soon finds that she and Jo are holding their stomachs in laughter while tears are leaking out of their eyes in protestation from how hard they are laughing. They both know that Katniss's idea of having a Prince snack might include some light snogging, but that's about it. Katniss isn't innocent, but she is conservative, although she likes to make jokes pretending otherwise. All her tension from earlier is completely gone as their laughter fades to giggles.

"Jo, seriously" Katniss asks between giggles, "how are things going with the preparation for the move to UNC. Will Thresh still be back tomorrow?" Katniss grabs the reigns of Lady and begins walking toward Veveří castle. Johanna falls in step at her side; to the casual person it appears as if they are two friends walking together. Katniss notices how Johanna always walks with her eyes darting to and fro, how she will sometimes turn and walk backward, as if talking to her, but is truly getting a better view of the landscape behind them.

"Thresh is back tomorrow, I spoke to him yesterday though. He sent me the full report and wants me to brief the team with you in attendance this afternoon." Johanna looks over at her, "I have already called up your team, we will meet in your apartment for tea. Your mother already excused your absence from tea with the Hawthorne's; your safety is of higher priority than your love life."

"Thank goodness for priorities," she gushes out, her own sarcasm thick on her tongue. "I swear if I have to listen to Hazelle discuss the wonderful attributes of Gale and Rory over finger sandwiches, tea and crumpets again, I think I might scream."

"Catnip" the distinctively masculine voice calling from behind startles her.

"Shit" she whispers under her breath, "is he close enough to have heard me Jo?"

"Nope" she whispers back, "he's running to catch up. Do you want me to back off for privacy?"

"Fuck no" she breaths out, "we have an important meeting to go to."

"Catnip, wait a second" this time the voice is closer and she can hear the heavy breathing associated with running. Plastering on her 'Princess' smile Katniss turns and walks backward to see Gale jogging to catch up to her.

"I hate that nickname you know that right?" her voice is saccharine sweet like the nectar that pulls prey into a fly trap, sweet before it traps and kills.

"Nah, you just say you do" Gale's smile screams 'cocky' as he ambles up alongside of her and falls into step where Johanna was moments before, whereas Jo has silently drifted back behind the two friends.

"No, I really do" she fires back with a hint of ice in her tone. Katniss may not seek the spotlight; she may not always act or demand the respect her station requires, nor does she actively participate in the social scene most of her peers enjoy, but Katniss **is** the Princess Royale of Mahren. She will someday become Queen of Moravia and assume responsibility for the welfare of her people; Katniss can be regal when required.

"Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, Lord Hawthorne. I am your Princess and I will someday be your Queen. If you cannot call me by the name my parents gave me then I will insist you call me by the title as required by my subjects."

His eyes narrow at her and she can see the fire simmering in his eyes, Katniss rarely reminds people of her station above them. Of course most people don't push her buttons to purposefully irritate her so that she feels she has to remind them.

"Your Royal Highness" Jo's voice breaks the staring contest that is currently causing her to become more irritated.

"Yes, Johanna?" she enquires without breaking her stare down with her friend.

"I have just received word that Lord Finnick O'Dair has arrived at Veveří and is requesting an audience with the Princess Royale of Mahren today. Would you like to entertain his lordship or shall I have the palace send him on his way?"

A huge grin overtakes her face and her irritation at Gale is instantly gone, of course she wants to see Finn. "I would be happy to receive a visit from Finn, have Sae set another place at the table and I think I will enjoy some time at the pool after brunch." Her anger assuaged by the anticipation of seeing Finn, Katniss turns to Gale with a softening gaze and voice. "Finn's here, should be fun like the old times."

"Huh, I thought this was an exclusive visit." The slight bitterness in the statement has her narrowing her eyes at him.

"What the hell Gale? It's just Finn. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but get over it. I like our friendship, I like hanging out just the three of us, I can just be me with you two, both of you are my closest friends, come on I love you both, don't make me chose."

"Speaking of choosing, how were Harry and Amedeo?" Again his tone holds a note of something in it that Katniss doesn't like; she just can't quite put a finger on what is going on with him.

"I like them just fine, Gale. Really this whole thing is stupid. Elizabeth gets it in her head that Harry needs to marry properly and now I am suddenly Miss popular. This whole thing is dumb.

"I neither am 'window shopping' nor am I planning to 'tie the knot' anytime soon." Katniss snaps at him, really the thought of doing anything with any of these potential suitors right now is unthinkable, well with the possibility of a little snogging with Sebastien, if she can manage to do it without getting caught by the paps or worse her mother.

Suddenly a hand is gripping her elbow and she is being spun to face him. Gale looks down at her with those eyes that are so very similar to her own. "Katniss, I have always cared for you. I am happy to hear that you are not taking these visits seriously, I think we should wrap this up soon so you don't have to suffer any more of these visits."

"Wrap what up?" Gale can be so infuriatingly vague sometimes, Katniss is pretty sure she hears a snigger from Johanna behind her.

"Our engagement" the statement is said so casually as if it is a business deal and that alone has her taking a step back and questioning, "Our what?"

"Engagement, it makes sense, we're good friends. I have always loved you. I know Moravia. I think the people will be happy with me as their King." His voice is smooth as butter as he turns on the famed Hawthorne charm, stepping closer to her, using his long arms to pull her in closer to him. His lips coming closer to her and he looks at her using what Finn likes to call Gale's 'smolder' look (and yes they did get that from Tangled).

Katniss watches as his eyes flicker closed and his lips move to mere millimeters from hers before acting. "Consort" she breathes against his lips. His eyes pop open and his head jerks back slightly looking at her in confusion.

"What?" it is his turn to be confused and it makes her smirk internally, _gotcha buddy_.

Taking a step back she retains control of the situation by instantly mounting Lady and looking down at her friend turned suitor. "Consort" she repeats her voice strong and firm, "The man I marry will be Consort to the Queen of Moravia, the decision is mine and mine alone if he ever gets crowned King."

Her horse turns itself in a circle as she allows Lady to intimidate Gale slightly as she leans down going in for the kill. "I was wondering… were you thinking of how much you love me when you were in Sardinia partying with Prince Azim, your dick between the legs of a new model every night? Were you? Is that what you were thinking of? How much you love me? Or were you thinking that you love me while you were screwing my trusted bodyguard last year?" Completely insulted she doesn't even wait for his reply before she whirls on Johanna who has turned white and reassures her saying, "I never cared Jo, I'm headed home, see you there." At that she nudges Lady into a gallop and flies across the fields and woods until she pulls Lady to a stop in front of the palace doors. The doorman immediately rushes towards her as he talks into the communicator of his jacket. Leaping off of Lady she hands the wide-eyed man the reigns with a curt 'here' as she angrily strides through the doors not waiting for the gaping and stunned second footman to open them. She immediately begins her angry march towards her apartment when she hears her mother calling out to her from the drawing room to her left.

Stopping for a moment Katniss takes a breath to compose herself and straightening her shoulders she walks into the room to see Countess Hazelle sitting with her mother and her younger sister Prim. "Yes, Your Majesty?" she asks in as civil a voice as possible, but she knows her mother can see her barely contained rage.

"Katniss" her mother smiles at her with questioning eyes, "did the hunt not go well?"

"It went fine mom" she answers tersely, "I bagged a beautiful buck. The deer is being dressed and delivered to the kitchens for our evening meal."

"Oh how wonderful, your Royal Highness!" Hazelle trills at her with a wide smile on her face. "I do hope both my sons were of use to you on your hunt. They are both very skilled at hunting, Gale more than Rory, but that may be because Gale is older and has had more time to practice."

Her mention of Gale fans the flames of her anger as she turns and glares at Hazelle before she can school her features to neutral, unfortunately her mother notices.

"Is there something wrong my dear?" her mother's blue eyes probe Katniss' grey ones with concern, in this moment the Queen is not a Queen but her mother.

"No, I am fine, angry but fine." She replies abruptly about to spin on her heals and head up to her apartments but apparently Hazelle isn't done talking yet.

"Perhaps when the men return, Gale can take you on a walk in the gardens, they are so beautiful this time of year, romantic even." Katniss spins and stares down at the woman who is so blind to her mood and her precious eldest son's behavior that it takes a moment before she can reply.

"I am going to shower for brunch. Please inform your son, Gale that if he cannot address me properly, apologize for his egregious behavior and treat me with the respect that I am entitled to, that he may take his meal in the guest quarters." Satisfaction in the dropped jaw of the naïve and insufferable woman and the hard look that her mother turns on Countess Hazelle has her smiling internally as she curtsies to her mother and dismisses herself from the drawing room quickly making her way up the stairs not caring about the mess her muddy boots are leaving behind.

Just as she reaches the double doors to her apartments she can hear Gale shouting her name as he enters the Palace. Flinging open her apartment doors she sees Cato is on duty sitting in the alcove off to the right of the entrance to her rooms. The alcove serves as an office for her protection team and personal secretary; it holds a small desk computer and a locked safe with several weapons.

"Your Royal Highness" Cato barks out as he leaps to his feet ever ready to serve.

"Stand outside the doors, only my immediate family or my personal team is to be admitted, especially not that pompous ass Gale Hawthorne. If anyone asks I'm showering." She spits.

Cato's face splits into her favorite menacing grin; she knows he doesn't like Gale. More importantly Gale cannot stand Cato, which makes her grin knowing that he will have to talk to Cato.

"My pleasure, princess." He brushes immediately past her grabs his favorite sword and exits with a bow accompanying a feral grin on his face.

Sighing in relief Katniss makes her way further into her Apartment. They are the second largest set of personal living quarters, after the reigning monarchs of course, and is reserved for the first in-line to the throne. Her sister has a similar if not smaller apartment close by as Primrose is second in line to the throne. And there are a few more in the family's wing of the palace that are currently unused, since her parents only had two children. The guest wing sports multiple smaller suites, two of which are currently occupied by the Hawthornes. Špilberk Castle, their other home is located in the center of Moravian's capital, and has very similar accommodations to this castle, but the windows are smaller and there are fewer gardens. Katniss likes Veveří Castle best, she feels most comfortable here, more at home.

The entrance hallway is long and narrow; the first few doors are rooms that lead to the personal rooms of her ever present protection staff and secretary. They all have homes somewhere else in Moravia, but when they are not off duty they are here with her. As the hallway ends there is a small mudroom off to the left in an alcove just before you walk into a large formal receiving room. There are two large windows that look out onto the courtyard below. Doors off to the right lead to rooms of less formal living space meant for entertaining friends, including a room with theatre style seating (although much comfier then an actual theatre), massive flat screen and premier surround sound. There is also a game room as well as a room for lounging and reading. There is a half bath and a guest bedroom which includes a private bath. The door off to the left of her sitting room leads to her more private apartment. Her inner sanctum as she likes to say. It is a place where not many people other than her family, maid, secretary, personal protection team, stylist team, two or three female friends and secretly one boyfriend have ever been admitted.

She enters her sitting room that she had redecorated to fit her style, it is less formal and cozier then when her mother lived here. The Windows are tall and spacious and they tower almost the entire height of the 15 ft. ceilings. Right off the sitting room there is a smaller sun room that has large windows on two sides, the space boasts a fireplace, cozy chairs and a small table where she can take her meals if she likes. There are three doors off the sitting room. One leads to a hallway that takes her to her office / library, when she remodeled this room she had floor to ceiling bookcases installed in dark wood, mahogany if she remembers correctly, and a reading nook in the center of the bay window, filled with pillows and throw blankets, personally she calls it her nest. And a second almost identical room that has remained untouched, it is for her hypothetical future husband, so that he may have a space of his own.

The second door leads to a set of two rooms that she hasn't decided what to do with yet, they are connected with a full bath in a Jack and Jill style. Katniss assumes that they were originally designed for children, but right now that is not her life style. So, one is set up as a small private TV room with a much more modest system then what is in the theatre room on the other side of her Apartment and the other is empty.

The third door leads to her bedroom, it is large spacious and airy, there is a small setae in front of her fireplace and her bed is a California King. She originally wanted a Queen but her mother insisted that she get something larger in anticipation of eventually having to share the bed with a husband. There are two large walk-in closets (his and hers), the slightly bigger one is filled and is designed for women's clothing, purses, shoes and accessories and has a small chamber vault hidden behind a wall of shoes that contain some of her personal jewelry. The other closet is empty but designed for men's wear and accessories. The final room in her suite is one of her favorites, her master bath. It is large and airy with a soaking tub, a large shower with multiple jets that can fit more than one person, double sinks, and a vanity station for her stylist and a separate privy room.

Making her way through her private rooms to her bathroom she begins to relax, it's nice to know that as soon as she enters her private chambers; she is afforded the privacy she wants. Even Johanna knocks and respects her desire for time alone, to decompress. Entering her bathroom she turns to a panel on the wall and puts on some soothing jazz before going over to turn the shower on to let it heat up. Stripping down she sighs as she enters the shower after it beeps to let her know the temperature has reached her preferred setting, which is hot. Multiple jets beat down on her massaging the morning's stress out of her muscles, and closing her eyes she finally allows herself to relax.

Less than an hour later Katniss exits her inner sanctum dressed and ready for brunch to find her secretary, Clove, and Johanna waiting for her. Johanna's short spiky hair is wet and her clothes are clean indicating that she has showered and changed as well.

"Good morning, your Royal Highness" Clove greets her with her no-nonsense efficient attitude that Katniss thoroughly appreciates. "Her Majesty has asked me to inform you that the eldest Lord Hawthorne has been informed that he is not welcome at brunch this morning. And that she has requested that the Earl and Countess deal with his inappropriate manners before he is allowed to accompany the Princess Royale during the remaining time that the Hawthorne family is in attendance at summer court."

"Shhhiiitt" Katniss breathes out, "Mom really laid it down. What happened after I left mom and came up here?" She flops down onto a couch waving her hand casually, a gesture that her staff is familiar with, it means get comfortable, no formalities.

"Oh my god Katniss you should have seen it", Clove starts talking her posture relaxing and a smile flashing on her face. "Not long after you left your mom, Prim and Hazelle in the sitting parlor, Gale burst into the palace calling out that dreadful nickname like he was in some common boarding house. He ran right past your mom, not greeting her at all, and up the stairs that lead to the Royal Apartments like he lives here. You should have seen the look on his face when he found Cato at your door; I have it on tape if you want to see it." Clove's laugh rings out as she relays the story, "brilliant move on your part. We all know how much he hates Cato."

"And how much I hate him" the booming voice proceeds him as Cato enters the receiving room, taking in the relaxed and casual manner following the lead of the other staff. His comment causes Katniss to giggle before she motions with a hand wave for Clove to continue the story.

"After several attempts of Gale trying to enter your apartment, I stepped out and requested that he follow me and informed him that you were at your toilette. I then turned to Cato and requested that he help me escort Lord Hawthorne from the Royal Family's Private Apartments to a more suitable location."

"OH MY GOD, you did not!" pulling her legs up to her chest and hugging them Katniss rolls onto her side giggling harder than before.

"OH MY GOD, she totally did" Cato says in a voice affecting that of a teenage girl while mimicking Katniss's pose, which instantly has everyone laughing.

"You can lay it down just like my mom, you are AWESOME!" Katniss beams at Clove.

Clove composes her laughing and continues her story, "so when we get downstairs, your mother is interrogating the remainder of the hunting party as to what happened out there. Apparently she had already spoken to your dad and Uncle and was just starting to interrogate Johanna when we entered the room. The Earl then immediately started berating Gale as if the Queen was not in their presence, as if his son's behavior wasn't embarrassing enough. Until your mother silenced everyone and had Jo continue the story. When Jo got to the part where Gale had told you 'I know Moravia and I think the people would be happy with me as their King', your mother just stopped the inquisition."

"I have never seen your mother that mad Katniss" Jo butt in, "I swear I thought she was going to have Cato break Gale's neck with his bare hands right then and there."

"I can do it too" Cato interrupts proudly, "I know 15 ways to kill a man with my bare hands and 5 with a straw."

"Yeah yeah we all know, Alexander Cato, highest score ever at the academy in hand to hand combat." Jo parrots at him in annoyance.

"Hey" Cato pouts, Katniss knows he takes his job very seriously and is even sensitive about it.

"Alexander Cato, my number one hero" Katniss swoons at him batting her eyelashes in an overdramatic manner.

"That's right" Cato puffs out recovering his ego quickly, "my Princess can trust me with her life."

"All right, you big baby" Jo jumps in her voice full of laughter, "let Clove finish the story."

"Well your mom looked at Gale with that look, you know the look. The one that makes you hang your head in shame and make you wish she would just yell at you, or hope for a dungeon or torture chamber or something, because anything is better than being on the receiving end of that stare." Clove continues trying to mimic 'the stare'.

"Oh yeah" Katniss agrees, "That stare sucks. I think the last time I got that stare was when she caught me in my bedroom making out with Hoops."

"We all got that stare for allowing Hoops in your room. The protocol we break for your non-existent love life…" Jo states pointedly.

"Anyway…" Clove continues, "Your mother reminded Gale that he is a guest in her home. She then went on to remind him that the Přemyslid family owns 45% of the shares in Hawthorne Industries and that although she has never taken an active role on the board it does not mean she never will. She then turned to the Earl and doled out Gale's punishment as if Gale was 5 years old and requested that the Earl and Countess get their 'unruly son' under control. She then requested that the entire Hawthorne clan return to their guest quarters until brunch is served."

"My mom can be badass." Katniss smiles at the small group before her.

"Yeah well your badass mom and your dad want to see you in their private quarters before brunch." Clove communicates with a smirk on her face, "you better go now, and brunch is in 30 minutes."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I made a mistake when I originally wrote this. I should have used Prince** **Joachim instead of Amedeo. He is younger and single. So, I will update and change the prologue. Please don't get confused. Also, please leave reviews, even critical ones. I own nothing and there is no resemblance to anyone intended.**

Chapter 1 – Late Summer 2015

"Finn" Katniss calls out as she enters the formal dining room, her parents not far behind her, to find her friend standing behind his chair waiting for the Royal family in the appropriate manner.

"Your Royal Highness" Finn walks over to Katniss greeting her with a bow and a kiss on her hand, "you are looking as lovely as ever." Turning to great the rest of her family as they walk in Finn bows deeply to her mother and father "Your Majesties it is a pleasure to be received so graciously, unanticipated that I was." His smile is blinding and his beautiful green eyes dance merrily when Prim enteres the room he quickly bends into a deep elaborate bow making her giggle, "Your Royal Highness, You are looking more beautiful every time I see you."

Walking over to her father, Finn then accompanies him to the King's place at the head of the table, "I am not sure how you do it your Majesty. How can you live surrounded by all this feminine beauty?"

"Come boy, this is an informal family brunch, James will do, please." Her dad is saying this as Finn is now at the other end of the table pulling out his mother's chair like the gentleman he can be, when he wants to be. Just as Finn is helping Prim with her chair her Uncle Haymitch enters followed by a very subdued and chastised looking group of Hawthornes minus one. The family enters the dining room cautiously.

"Lord John, Countess Hazelle, Rory, Vick and pretty Posy how wonderful to see you all, it has been way to long." Finn greets the Hawthorne family before assisting Katniss into her chair and then taking his place next to Katniss at the table.

As soon as everyone is seated Sae's service staff is bringing out the brunch and food is quickly piled on plates. Soft conversations begin and everyone is pleasant to each other. Finn is entertaining as usual telling stories of his training trip to the US; he has been swimming with a USA team, coincidently (or not) the one Annie trains with, and has been dropping time for the next Summer Olympics. He just flew into Moravia yesterday, tomorrow is the yearly board meeting for his father's company. The O'Dair family is independently wealthy, and is the only family of nobility in Moravia whose money has zero Přemyslid ties. The O'Dairs were large land owners that had gotten involved in industry and shipping early in the age of machines. Finn's grandfather was an engineer and had invented and patented technology that is used by Mercedes Corporation, Volvo and a few other vehicle manufacturers including yachts. Finn's dad also became an Engineer, but a software engineer and has patented and designed some code. They run a videogame designer business and a few other enterprises all under the O'Dair Corporation name. Finn himself is a born salesman, his good looks withstanding, using his charm he can talk an eskimo into buying ice. Finn's dad, the Earl Richard Neptune O'Dair, married an American steel heiress turned Hollywood Actress, and to put it lightly she is beautiful, but reclusive. She retired from the movies after only making three films to live in Moravia after she met Richard while she had been filming in Moravia.

"Hey Kitty" Finn whispers to her, his head bent over towards hers conspiratorially, "where's Broody? I was hoping to see him; I thought the three of us could hang out before I have to head back to the states."

"Mom banned him from brunch." Katniss states quietly back, "He pushed it a little too far this morning and is eating in the guest quarters. Thought we could hang by the pool post-brunch, you have some time?"

"Yeah, I got time. Damn, it's not good to piss of Queen Lilian. She didn't give him the stare, did she?"

"Yes, Clove said she has never seen my mom that mad." She replies quietly.

"Oww, well we can chat in the pool." Finn answers while straightening up and then raises his voice to a normal conversation level.

"So, I heard through my mother that Harry and Joachim have been a 'courtin'. Is this true?" Finn's eyes dance with mischief as he looks at Katniss and then around at the reactions of the people around the large impeccably set breakfast table. Finn knows that elaborate as this dining room and as large as this table is, it can seat 30 comfortably when extended. That this is the small dining room, used for breakfast and everyday meals. The formal dining room is located over by the ball room, and holds two magnificent custom built tables that can fit over 50 guests each.

"Yes, they have been calling on our dear Katniss," Lillian answers his question. "Harry and Amedeo were both a pleasure to host; both young men are so well-mannered and handsome. Either of those young men would be a wonderful and suitable consort to Katniss." Katniss and Finnick note how the Earl and Countess Hawthorne both flinch at the not so subtle dig in Lillian's answer.

"They are both excellent chaps" Finn replied, "Although Harry might be a little long in the tooth for Katniss. Still both their pedigrees are impeccable, but Joachim is sporting some serious brains."

"They are both fine young men" Katniss smoothly adds to the conversation. "Sebastien will be visiting next week as well, but I believe he may be a little young for me."

"Can't hurt to give him a go, Kat" his smooth double entendre is not lost on Katniss. "Although you're only 23, what's the rush? I'm 27 and am just starting to think of settling down."

The smooth voice of her father cut in, "there is no rush. In fact, our little kitty will be leaving to head to the US for a business degree for a few years. It hasn't been publicly announced yet. Katniss wants to try and remain anonymous there, live a quiet life before coming back to join the family business." The Hawthornes' heads snap up, they were clearly unaware of this development.

"Ohhh" Finn squeals at her like a pre-teen girl. "Where are you going, is it close to me? Can I visit? Annie would love to see you, and she absolutely adores your royal highness."

"Of course, I would love to see her, I admire Annie as well. I am headed to UNC in less than a month; Thresh has just finished getting all the lodging, cleaning and cooking staff and security measures in order and will be back tomorrow." Katniss replies taking satisfaction in the grimace on Countess Hazelle's face.

"UNC, not so far from where I am in Florida, Annie and I will definitely be visiting."

"Speaking of the lovely Miss Annie Cresta" Lillian says turning her attention to Finn. "Is it safe to assume that you will be introducing her at court soon?"

All eyes at the table turn to Finn and Katniss can see him getting a little red. Finn doesn't embarrass easily, but her mother has a way of getting right to the point. A formal introduction to the court is akin to Finn asking permission from his Queen to take Annie as his wife.

"If I did" he starts slowly his eyes directly on the Queen but with the correct amount of deference in them, "will she be accepted?" Katniss notices the nervousness in his voice. The tradition that the nobility needs the approval from their Queen for marriages is an old-fashioned notion, one that the monarchy no longer requires. But for protocols sake it is still followed, at least by the higher ranked individuals, Barons and above certainly still follow the practice.

"I see no reason why she wouldn't" her mother answers smoothly a gentle smile on her face. "Miss Cresta is a lovely girl and if you love her, I have no objections."

Katniss feels the breath leave Finn's body and his tense posture relax, his nervous smile morphing into his easy genuine one.

"In fact" her mother continues smoothly, "I have always felt that even if my girls want to marry a commoner I would fully support them as long as it was for love. One should be in love with the person they marry. I certainly have benefitted from having a wonderful loving husband by my side." The smile on her mother's face is soft as she and her father look at each other across the table, their eyes locked and in their own little world.

"Well then" Finn responds, "I suppose that around this time next summer I will bring her for a formal visit to Špilberk, I suppose I should make the arrangements with Miss Trinket beforehand?"

"Absolutely" her mother smiles at Finn and then deftly wiping her mouth on her linin napkin she stands up from the table causing everyone to scramble up from their seats. "I believe this meal is concluded, I have some business to attend to in my study." And with that her mother leaves elegantly, discretely trailed by Cashmere her personal bodyguard who had been her shadow the whole meal.

The light splashing sounds of Finn cutting through the water paired with the warmth of the sun on her skin is so comforting Katniss finds herself very relaxed. Rolling her head, she turns to look at her sister lounging on the chaise next to her and it makes her smile. After brunch Prim had followed Katniss up to her rooms for a sister heart to heart. Katniss is going to miss chatting with her sister when she is in the US, but her sister is headed to Oxford anyway for the pre-med program. No one understood what it means to be her better then Prim, the pressure of being perfect. Screwing up is not an option as a Přemyslid, if you do the paps will most likely catch it on camera, blow it out of proportion and then…BAMM you have a reputation.

When she first arrived at the pool Finn was sunning himself on a chaise in all his bronzed-muscle glory. He immediately asked what was going on with Gale and why the Hawthornes were acting so docile and quiet over brunch. She spent some time filling him in on this morning's incident including her tirade at the end. She was a little surprised that Finn knew about the Johanna-Gale hook up from last year, Katniss hadn't told anyone, she loved Jo like a big sister and she was afraid if the story got out Jo would be demoted and reassigned.

"Yeah, I know about it" Finn said looking at her cautiously. "He was bragging about what a great lay she was. Told him it was a bad idea, it put Johanna's job in jeopardy either now or later on down the line. I mean hell; say you did marry him, would you want an ex-fuck of his in your marriage apartment?"

"Noooo" Katniss replied thinking about that scenario. "I hadn't even thought of that, I just didn't want Jo to get in trouble, you know?"

"So you excited to head to UNC?" Finn asked deftly changing the subject.

"You mean, am I ready for 3 blissful years of anonymity? Yes, very much so, the whole team is excited. I mean I'll have to do some charity appearances while I'm over there, there are a few in New York mums got lined up. You know the usual ones, the Vanderbilt charity ball and the Met charity dinner."

"Ahh, I'll be there at those as well, who are you taking for a date?" Finn asked snickering at her.

"Not sure yet, I mean Harry said he'd be at the Vanderbilt ball, it may behoove me to go as his date. You know get in good with his gandmum, piss Gale off."

"How has it been going with the courting anyway, truthfully Kitty, friend to friend?"

"I can tell you right now Harry and Joachim are out, I mean I can keep up the charade, but there is nothing there for them or for me. Sabastien comes next week, though; I think I could like him. He's yummy hot and super funny." Katniss replied casually while applying sunscreen.

"He's a younger man too Kitty, I mean I know you like 'em young." Finn smirked at her.

"Shut up, you know that was one guy. I mean I was eighteen he was seventeen it was a summer romance on the beaches in Croatia." She smacked him lightly on the arm and scowled at him playfully.

"Yeah and then you brought him home to Moravia on the family private plane and snuck him into your bedroom and got caught having kinky sex by your mom."

"We were **NOT** having kinky sex, you pervert" Katniss scolded him. "You know the story, we were making out, on my bed… fully clothed. His hand may have been up my shirt, but god… **shut up**. Stop dramatizing everything." At that Katniss had huffed and laid back to get some much-needed sun, while Finn dove in the pool to swim laps.

Just as Katniss is getting ready to flip over she feels the sun disappear from her skin, opening her eyes she peers through her sunglasses to see Gale standing over her blocking the sun. Directly behind him stands Cato, making faces behind Gale's back. Sitting up Katniss grabs her cover-up that is sitting on the table beside her and throws it over her bikini clad body.

Gale keeps standing there not saying anything, while Cato continues to make faces and Katniss attempts to contain a snicker. Sighing internally to herself she waves her hand to indicate that he can sit on the chaise next to her, she watches as Cato shadows Gale, standing directly behind his chaise. Sneaking a glance, she can see that Prim although she hasn't moved is paying very much attention to what is going on. Additionally, she observes that the remaining Hawthorne family, including the Earl and the Countess are gathered to the side of the patio most likely waiting to see if they will be able to swim or if they will have to go home.

"Her majesty said that Cato has to accompany me anytime I am around you until you decide it isn't necessary. Although I am not sure that he needs to be this close…" Gale turns and glares at Cato, who just grins back, clearly happy that he has permission to taunt Gale.

"As you know Cato was top of his class at the Elite Military Academy, graduated in half the time as everyone else with the highest marks ever. If the Queen gave an order to Cato, I trust him to know how to follow it appropriately. I do not question his methods and neither should you. Cato has bailed you out from many a sticky situation, my friend at my behest. I dare say you should not question him…ever." Katniss glares at her friend using her best Princess language possible. _You don't grow up around mum without learning how to talk like a queen._

"So you're still angry at me" he looks and sounds so much like a petulant child she almost bursts out laughing. Glancing over she sees Finn sluicing his way through the water over to the edge of the pool in front of them.

"Gale, what's up?" Finn greats as he pushes his body up and out of the pool with his perfectly sculpted arms, the water dripping down his toned torso, Katniss is fairly certain half the female staff are looking out the palace windows drooling at the Adonis that is her friend.

"Did you come here to throw your hat in the ring too?" Gale grumps a little too forcefully causing Katniss to give him a stern look. _Where is her apology dammit_?

"Nope. Actually, I am home for business, but I did just get permission from the Queen to formally introduce Annie to court." The statement effectively shuts Gale up and causes his mopey demeanor to brighten slightly, and when that happens Katniss can see her close friend re-emerge from the stranger that has been visiting.

"Congratulations man, good for you. Annie's a beautiful girl and a saint for putting up with your ass." The familiar interaction that has been missing for too long between her two oldest friends makes her heart smile.

"Yeah, and I just found out that our little princess kitty will be in school not so far away from where we train in Florida. I can't wait to play the overbearing big brother when I visit her on campus." Finn's Cheshire smile makes Katniss shift uncomfortably in her seat, she can just imagine all the embarrassing things he can come up with.

Gale turns to her his eyes narrowing in accusation, "how come I am just finding out about this from mom and dad? You're leaving for three years Catn…Katniss? You couldn't tell me earlier?"

"I hadn't received permission to relay that information to anyone beyond the family and my team. Dad was the one to tell people, he also requested that it be kept confidential, so take that to heart. I want to be normal; you know how crazy my life became after the general student population at Oxford found out who I was." Katniss glares at him and then Finn, daring them to say anything about that. It was Gale and Finn that had carelessly revealed her identity at a party that they had dragged her to one night.

"You plan on seeing Hoops while you're there?" Finn asks mischievously. Hoops is the nickname of her very first boyfriend, she had met him while all three were on summer Holiday in Croatia, it was her first Holiday without her parents. He was her first everything, puppy crush, kiss and more; they declared their love for each other over the crackling light of a beach fire pit and dated for 6 months. At the time, she was 18 and he was freshly 17, a Hollywood actor, who had yet to make it big. Now he is in a big blockbuster trilogy, they are still friends since they had parted on friendly terms and he has a very serious (although clandestine by contract) relationship with his very talented co-star. They still saw each other from time to time if they happen to be in the same general vicinity. But Katniss knows that what she thought was love at 18 was really a deep friendship confused by attraction and teenage hormones.

"Most likely, I get along well with his girlfriend, she is adorable. I plan on joining some service group or another there, continue my charity work. He is always up for an appearance if it means helping the LGBT community or kids in the hospital." She replies easily. If there was one thing Katniss loves about being privileged and a princess it is the good she can do, she loves charity work. Not just writing checks or attending parties, but getting her hands dirty working at community homes, planning and fundraising, she enjoys it all.

"He's still with her?" Gale asks with a little more than curiosity in his tone, Katniss thinks she detects a hint of jealousy.

"Yes, I think that this is the one for the long haul. He just emailed me the other day thanking me for one of my Cinna Original's that I had donated to the auction his charity was holding; apparently it raised a lot of funds. Half the email was him gushing about her, it's very sweet."

"That's good, seems as if people all around us are settling down." Gale hints not so slyly.

"I am still waiting for that apology Hawthorne" she stubbornly replies, crossing her arms defensively and glaring at him.

"You know I'm not good at apologizing." Comes the quick retort causing her body to stiffen and she senses Cato hovering closer.

She watches as Gale notices her change in posture, then letting out a huge sigh his whole body deflates as if in defeat. "Look you're right, I am sorry. I just…" he stops and turns to look at Finn who has wandered to sit down at the foot of her chaise. "Well I know I've made some mistakes, not just with you Katniss, but with you too Finn." Katniss sees Finn's eye brows disappear behind his wet bangs that have fallen low onto his forehead.

"Sorry Finn, I said some nasty things to you last year. I knew you were just trying to give me some good advice, but I didn't want to listen to you. I knew you were right, I was not thinking with my head, honestly I haven't been thinking with my head for a while."

"S'okay man, you know I still love you like a bro." Finn smiles lazily reaching out and smacking Gale on the shoulder, perhaps a little harder than necessary as Katniss discerns a slight grimace flit across his face amusing her slightly.

Katniss watches as he turns his steel grey eyes on hers. Gale is only 2 years older than her, tall, lean with dark rugged good looks, and a lot of women like him, always have, when they were in secondary school the girls had flocked to him in droves. He has olive skin and dark almost black hair like hers. They have a similar look; they share an ancestry, not close enough to make it gross. More like they were related so far back you had to trace their families' histories to the 1400's, but sometimes genetics are funny and traits pop up oddly.

Katniss looks like her father olive skinned, hers slightly lighter most likely because of the fair porcelain skin of her mother, dark deep almost chocolate colored hair, the healthy kind of chocolate, 70% cacao not milk. They both have grey eyes, but where Gale's are charcoal dark hers are lightened with blue and green flecks to more closely resemble the sterling silver their food gets served on. Where Gale is tall almost 194 cm, Katniss is petite, she isn't short per se, she is a good 171 cm and she is all limbs. So when Katniss sits down she seems smaller then she is since her bones are petite and her curves slight. Katniss has never even entertained getting a chest enhancement; she feels her modest 65C-D sized chest is perfect for her frame. Her face resembles a nice mix of her parents and although she thinks she is pretty, she doesn't think she is stunning like her mother and sister.

"I'm sorry; I sprang a lot on you pretty quickly. I have always just assumed you thought the same way I do. That we would be young, have some fun and then settle down together you know?" His eyes are pleading with her to understand him. "Then all these guys show up, guys with a pedigree shinier then mine, guys who can offer you something real. Good looking guys, who are much higher on the most eligible bachelors of Europe's list. I have thought about us, I did get jealous, last year when I found out you had slept with Darius, I went nuts and Johanna happened. I didn't think of the potential consequences until fish boy here pointed them out. And that just made me angrier, that I had been so dumb so I took it out on Finn and skipped off to Sardinia."

Katniss sucks in her breath thinking about his confessions not really knowing where to start so she begins with the obvious, easy ones. "Gale, I dated Darius for three years while I was at Oxford; he even stuck with me for a whole year after the paps started hounding us before it got too much for him. I cared, no strike that, I care deeply for him; he dated me when he thought I was nobody special. He thought I was pretty, beautiful in jeans and a t-shirt, with no make-up on and my hair in a standard braid. He liked my personality, quiet and shy, he didn't care that I wasn't the life of the party and that I didn't aspire to be that way. He liked talking with me and debating about our studies, he was smart and liked that I am too. I didn't have to hide who I was with the exception that I was not just a student from Moravia, but the Princess Royale from Moravia."

Katniss takes another deep breath before she delves into the next part of her relationship, "Yes, I slept with him, several times in fact, but not until months into our relationship, we had already told each other "I love you'. And he did, Darius loved **me** , not The Princess Royale, but his princess." Her eyesight starts to shimmer slightly, because she misses it, she loved him, or loved what he gave her and it still hurts to think about. She feels the comforting hand of Finn rubbing her upper back in a brotherly soothing way that has her leaning into his side for comfort.

"I am not a prize to be won, I want to be loved and cherished for who I am, and Darius did. Well he did until the paps drove him insane; I know that it is pretty near impossible for me to have anything normal with anyone…normal. No one wants to marry into this life, Hoops was not chased by the paps for just who he was born to be, but he already knew that life through his career and we had that in common. But Darius, honestly, I knew deep down it wasn't the love that would last, there was passion missing, that fire burning in my veins just wasn't there. But…I want it all for my marriage: the deep friendship, the love and the burning passion. And I don't think I have to compromise what I want."

Gale looks at her his charcoal eyes burning into her soul his tone soft and deep, "I can give you that Katniss, just let me try. We have a deep friendship, you say you love me and the burning passion, well we can work on that."

A gentle smile crosses her lips and she took a moment to answer him. "We do have a deep friendship, and you are right, I do love you. But… is it limited to the way I love Finn here as my dorky big brother?" A playful "HEY" escapes Finn's lips and he turns mock pouting at her, she kisses Finn playfully on his cheek like they have always since they were children, like a sister. "I have always loved you that way Gale, could it change and mature into something more, like my parents? Who knows? Maybe, but I am not ready to address that right now. I am only 23 and I am leaving for UNC, who knows maybe I will find my prince charming in the US?" she chuckles playfully.

Gale smiles back with a slight resignation in his face, "Fine, I can wait. Can we at least explore this when you get back?"

"That's three years of waiting, Gale. What if you find the one in the meantime? Don't ignore love on my account; I want you to be happy too. And I cannot promise anything, I won't. Also, I want you to think about this carefully, if we do give it a shot and if it is you then there are some things about you that need to change." Katniss takes a deep breath before continuing, "Cato goes nowhere; he will always be my bodyguard so get over it. Because of your indiscretion, I will have to give up Johanna and the thought of that hurts. I am not sure I can do that. And marrying me does not make you King; I may decide to never have you crowned. Can you do that? Can you remain Consort, permanently? You will even be giving up your title as Earl. If you remain Consort then you understand Rory and Vick will rank higher than you. If you can't do that, if you can't lose your status as Earl and become the Queen's consort without wanting anything more, then we should forget this conversation and remain friends." The sharp pain in Gale's eyes make Katniss understand that he has never thought of this possibility and she focuses on that.

"Why don't you take three years and think about that, when I come home you can let me know if that is something you can live with. Harry can, he's already the second son and he is used to taking the backseat, but can you? Because your recent behavior tells me otherwise."

At that she stands and dismisses him, stating that he has a lot to think about and although he and his family are welcome to remain at the palace, perhaps it might be wise for them to leave. Gale stands and bows, kissing her proffered hand and calls her 'your Royal Highness' and just before he turns to leave he smiles and says, "see ya on your summer break Katniss."

Katniss watches him go, her posture ridged, her head held high as the Hawthorne brood trails after their eldest son and after they leave her view she slumps and sits down next to Finn exhausted from the encounter.

"You did good kitty" Finn soothes. "I love Gale, but honestly I don't think he's the one for you. You will find him Kat, you will, just like I found Annie. Sometimes you find the love of your life when you are least expecting it, they just creep up on you."

"Ok Katniss, I have all your clothes packed and ready to send to UNC" Katniss looks over to one of her favorite people Cinna Kadlec.

Cinna is the son of a miner and a factory worker, whose father split when he was young leaving him with his mother and three siblings and very little money. Then his mother died of a broken heart when Cinna, the eldest, was only ten. The Moravian government stepped in and placed him and his younger siblings in a government home. The home was wonderful, warm with plenty of food and workers who cared, including the Princess Royale, Lillian, who visited the home every week. Cinna had dreams of becoming a fashion designer and it was the Přemyslid family and Moravia that paid for him to attend the exclusive Central Saint Martins College in London. Then it was Queen Lillian and later her daughters that always wore his clothes while he was still a no-name designer working his way into the industry.

Now Cinna Kadlec is one of the most highly sought-after designers in the world; his signature gown that launched his career was inspired and worn by Katniss spawning her nickname 'girl on fire'. Because of the faith that the Přemyslid women have always bestowed upon him, he is their exclusive designer and head stylist to the Royal House of Přemyslid. Neither the Queen nor her girls wear any other designer to big functions and they rely exclusively on him for their design advice, especially Katniss. Both Prim and Lillian have excellent taste and instinct when it comes to fashion, making it fairly easy for him, but Katniss is another issue. He makes charts, what to wear with what, what to wear to each occasion type, how to do the hair, and what jewelry and makeup to wear when.

Although he doesn't have to, Cinna showes his appreciation to the Přemyslid women by designing an exclusive line for them and them only. World famous and exceedingly rich women beg him for gowns from his Fire and Ice line, but he resolutely refuses, those dresses are for his muses only, and in return they are loyal to him. The refusal to design for just anyone makes his mysteriousness even stronger this making him more desirable as a designer. Thus the few pieces he does for others sell for mind-staggering amounts of money, so he doesn't have to design for the masses, he can design for himself.

Contrary to popular belief the Přemyslid royal women place no restrictions on who he can design for and what he is allowed design, they do not limit him, with the exception of one stipulation. That the Přemyslid family is the only people he will ever design wedding dresses for, ever, and not just him, his brand. Cinna had readily agreed to this, because wedding dresses are not really his thing, but mostly because when it comes to that kind of statement dress he feels less is definitely better.

He has his hands full with his three lines anyway. The ready to wear line that sells in exclusive high-end department stores as well as his four stores, one on fifth Ave in NY, one in London, one in Paris and the flagship in the shopping district of Milan. The second line is the small amount of custom designing he does for high paying clients; the clothing is made to fit, flatter and make a statement. The third is his Fire and Ice line, clothing that does spectacular things, with Katniss, Primrose and Lilian as his muses, his 'girl on fire', his 'ice princess' and his 'sun quees'. It doesn't hurt that he likes the girls too, Katniss (or Prim) is going to make an extraordinary Queen one day, and she just needs to find her counterpoint to complete her. He likes them and enjoys their friendship, he doesn't understand how Katniss believes that Prim and her mother are the beautiful ones and she is just merely pretty.

"Octavia will be going with you to UNC and I will meet you in New York for the Vanderbilt Charity Ball and the Met Charity Dinner to get you ready and deliver your gowns." He informs his favorite person, Cinna just adores her surliness and spark.

"More fire?" Katniss asks him with quirked lips and a twinkle in her eyes, Katniss loves Cinna. How he can make her look so beautiful she has no idea, "But do I really need a stylist with me at UNC? Octavia doesn't need to come with me and leave her life here."

"More fire and diamonds" Cinna affirms, "and yes Octavia does need to come with you. It's not a burden for her, believe me. She volunteered, says she wants to study American style for a bit. Plus, what if you wear the wrong t-shirt with the wrong jeans and put mascara on your lips, I cannot have the paps take a picture of my muse, looking anything less then put together."

"But I plan on living in anonymity, there won't be any paps." Katniss whines, she likes Octavia enough, better than the rest of his staff, but having a prep is annoying.

"You never know when someone might figure out who you are and snap your photo. And what if you were a mess, how would that reflect on me, think about it as a favor to me, OK?" Cinna coos. "Besides what if you get asked out on a date by your dream man, you don't want to scare him away with your horrible fashion sense do you?"

"My dream man could care less about my fashion sense" Katniss giggles, "but maybe it would be best if I don't scare him away with my rat nest hair."

"I'll miss you my fire girl, but I will see you in December in New York, for the Vanderbilt party. Did you decide what you plan on doing for a date?" He asks her his eyes soft.

"Harry and I figured since we both will be there and I pass his security and he passes mine that he might as well be my escort. That will get his grandmum off his back for a while, plus it won't spark more of a media frenzy, we've already been seen together."

"Hmm, he is such a ginger, I think I may have to rework my idea for your dress; the orange I was going to put you in will just clash with his hair. Tell him to wear black and white…no forget it, I'll call his stylist myself to get you coordinated properly." Cinna muses, Katniss watches as he gets that hazy, far off look in his eye as he is concocting up her dress in his mind, it reminds her of a mad scientist.

Suddenly his attention snaps back to her, and Cinna leans in for a hug. "I have to go see your sister now, I have to get her and Venia all prepped for her move to Oxford. Have fun my girl on Fire."

Katniss hugs him back like she will never see him again, "See you soon and kick some designer butt."

Katniss stands at the entrance to her receiving room in her Apartment in Špilberk Castle, she watches her team sitting around the round meeting table off to the left in the room. This is the last meeting they will have before they take off for America tomorrow, and she watches with a certain amount of pride at how lucky she is to have these people on her team.

Johanna Mason is the oldest on her team at 33; she had graduated from the Moravian Elite Military Academy and had gone into general service where she spent a few years with the British Special Forces in Iraq. Johanna never speaks of those years, but when she returned she was recommended to the Royal Protection Service by her commanding officers. Jo then underwent specialty training and passed all the required tests including the final test called the block. Brutus, the head of Royal guard and personal protection for the Royal Family had assigned her to Katniss as her personal female companion at the age of 16 by order of her mother. Jo is small, but athletic, her body compact and she has a propensity for throwing axes at things for fun, but she is killer with a knife and a deadly accurate shot. Her small frame, short pixie style hair and wide set brown eyes make her appear younger then she is making her a less then obvious body guard. Katniss loves her like a sister and enjoys her wicked sense of humor even though she can be crude sometimes.

At the age of 18 Katniss was required to choose her personal staff and protection team. At that time she had the option to replace Jo if she wanted, she did not. It is common for the personal protection team to serve for as long as they are physically able, barring any life altering changes. Her mother's team is the same one she had chosen when she was 18, the only exception was when Cashmere her personal companion slash body guard went on maternity leave. Her mother had a temporary replacement for the year that Cashmere took off after the birth of her child. When Katniss turned 18 she chose the remaining people who serve as her staff. Richard Marvel, Alexander Cato, Clove Rydvck, and Thresh Johnson.

Clove Rydvec is her personal secretary; she attended the same secondary school with Katniss and was in her grade. When they graduated and they were both accepted into Oxford, Clove expressed a desire to serve her friend in the career position. Katniss likes Clove, her quiet intensity and her no-nonsense attitude and work ethic fit well with Katniss's personality. Clove is about the same size as Katniss, with light brown hair cut medium length and soft brown eyes. So, they worked out a deal where Clove and Katniss attended Oxford together and Clove worked closely with an older woman who had been her grandmother's secretary and was close to retirement to learn the ropes. In the summers during their tenure at Oxford Clove took some self-defense courses and a few combat courses at the Academy. Even though she is not responsible for the physical protection of the princess, there is potential for danger just by being in Katniss's proximity. Surprisingly, Clove developed a love of knife throwing and has wicked aim. Clove is responsible for Katniss's schedule and making sure her household runs smoothly. She coordinated cleaning and cooking staff, making sure that what Katniss wants is available as well as manages Katniss's social schedule. Clove is well versed in protocol and the politics of many countries helping Katniss keep straight whether to bow or kiss the cheek of this or that emissary. She is also a good friend who will accompany Katniss as a female escort if Jo is not available. And sometimes the two will just have sleepovers and gossip, while watching movies and eating popcorn.

Alexander Cato is her personal body guard and the first person she personally chose for her protection team, although one could say he chose her first. Alexander Cato is just two years older than her and in Gale's class; he attended the same secondary school as Katniss, Clove, Gale and Finnick. Cato is legendary at school, his athletic prowess and strength unmatched by all other students; in addition he is highly intelligent. It was no wonder he matriculated at the most exclusive magnate school in Moravia. Cato is also the nephew of Brutus Cato, the aforementioned head of Royal guard and personal protection as well as a professor at the Monrovia Elite Military Academy, or MEMA as it is called. On Katniss's first day of school, when she was 11 and Cato was only 13, Cato approached her and told her that he will be her guard. After that he proceeded to shadow her at school and at events, when he didn't have to be in class or practicing his sports.

After about a month of Cato following Katniss around, Gale and Finnick approached him wary of his attentions and asked him to stop following Katniss. Cato refused; in fact he knelt down in front of her in the middle of the hall and vowed to protect her at the expense of his own life if needed. Rising to his feet and towering over her two friends he told them that Katniss was 'his princess and he would rather die than hurt her and that he would hurt anyone who would ever do her harm'. After that Cato remained Katniss's self-proclaimed body guard until he graduated as valedictorian of his class as well as having accumulated an obscene amount of athletic records. Gale graduated second in GPA to Cato and Katniss is pretty sure that the competitive nature of the two boys turned men is the source of their animosity.

Just before his graduation Cato told Katniss that he was entering the MEMA so he could train to properly protect her. Katniss asked Cato "why, why does he want to protect her?" His answer was simple, "It is because I love you". Katniss was slightly confused; Cato had never shown any romantic intentions toward her.

"So you want to kiss me?" Katniss asked curiously, she had never been kissed before and at 16 all her friends had boyfriends.

Turning beet red, his eyes growing wide with shock Cato waved his hands in front of him in protest. "NO, not like that, my love for you is chaste; you are an Angel, my Princess. I would never, could never defile you in that way. I love you as if I was an older brother. I have known forever that it is my destiny to protect you. Someday I would like to find romantic love, but that is not how I feel towards you."

Katniss understood and knew that when he was ready, she would take him as her bodyguard. Two years later he was again on bended knee for the second time vowing to give his life in service to his Princess. This time the audience witnessing his oath was Queen, King and God in the Moravian Chapel, not a bunch of kids in a school hallway.

Cato immediately entered the academy and graduated the four-year program in two, was recommended for Royal service and passed the tests with the highest scores ever. He immediately requested to serve under Katniss and she didn't hesitate to pick him, his loyalty to her is unmatched by anyone in her mind, which says a lot, she trusts all her staff with her life. Cato is huge and intimidating, he is several centimeters taller than Gale with wide shoulders and a powerful physique, he resembles an American professional football player all muscle and sinew. Cato is good looking with short cropped blonde hair and light blue eyes that can look menacing to some, but to Katniss he is her teddy bear.

Sitting next to Cato is Richard Marvel her second bodyguard. He is smaller than Cato at a smidge over 185 cm, and not as muscular as Cato, although very few people are, and with his light brown hair, soft brown eyes and sweet smile he is less intimidating upon first introduction. Although his gentle demeanor and sweet looks are a camouflage for what lies beneath. Marvel is five years older than Katniss and was also a star at the MEMA, graduating top of his class, his specialties: spear throwing and Martial arts. When Katniss was looking through the recommended candidates for the remaining two people on her team she asked the advice of Cato and Johanna. Both Cato and Johanna had said Marvel was a good choice. His psychological profile is excellent and his skills complimented the other two members on the team.

On his first interview Katniss noticed how he got along well with both Johanna and Cato, she noticed how he brought sense of lightness and humor. It was important for her to like being with the people on her team; they would be around her all the time. Marvel seemed to understand Cato's protective nature and was not threatened by it. Marvel is strong and fast as lightning, he can run for miles carrying Katniss if need be, and most importantly he is deadly if needed. Her bodyguards need the ability to act first and ask questions later when it comes to her safety with no guilt to follow. They also need to not have feelings for her that would compromise her safety. Marvel would never develop those feelings for her, Thresh or Cato maybe, but they wouldn't be reciprocated.

Marvel is intelligent and can turn anything into a weapon, he also had a MacGyver-esque ability to escape all sorts of bizarre entrapments with a paperclip and some gum, and it is another one of his specialties. Most importantly when Katniss first met him she felt safe, she knew immediately that she could trust him. And that feeling of safety and trust meant more to her then any of his skills.

The final member to round out her team is the team head, Thresh Johnson. When Katniss had been working with Brutus to put together her team she had asked his advice if she should make Johanna or Cato the head. 'Neither' was his surprising reply. The position of head requires a lot of advance work and Brutus told Katniss that Cato would refuse to leave her side and Johanna is needed to be able to access places her male bodyguards could or should not go. The other aspect of the job requires the head to be excellent with interacting with people, dealing with security logistics and set-up at new locations and work with other security heads and police nations of the world. The other members of her team will also have to be able to take directions from the head. The ideal candidate should be able to speak multiple languages, have excellent people skills, excel in logistics and tactics, and have a more then passing knowledge of setting up and working with electronic surveillance and security equipment.

Enter Thresh Johnson, Thresh is also a monster of a guy, his size almost that of Cato. Thresh excelles in languages and diplomacy and his knowledge of Moravian protocol equaled Cashmere Novak's. Thresh had also studied the protocol and law of foreign countries, beyond what the Academy required. Brutus highly recommended Thresh as the final member and leader of her team. Thresh is tall, dark skinned with large chocolate eyes and tight curly black hair, although his appearance speaks to his African ancestry he is a Moravian citizen by birth and has roots at least four generations back. Katniss knew Thresh in passing as a child since his mother is head maid at Špilberk Castle, although he is five years older than her so their contact was minimal.

It was his soft-spoken demeanor that won her over; Katniss noticed his natural leadership skills immediately. The way he interacted with the other members of the team and their immediate respect for him had her offering him the position of team head without question. Thresh works well with the police and military forces of other countries, he knows the commanding officers he needs to get in contact with. Thresh has an excellent relationship with Beetee and Wiress, the heads of Engineering and Computing for PMMC and the Royal families. He works well with Brutus the head of his mother and father's security and helped Prim pick out Blight, the head of her sister's security team. Besides his skills in leadership Thresh is a monster in combat, his boxing skills impeccable and he can handle any weapon with precision.

Katniss watches as Thresh quietly and efficiently goes over a set of blueprints with his team. He returned from Chapel Hill a few weeks ago from his advance visit to UNC. Thresh had located a place for her to live and had assisted the Moravian diplomat in dealing with the US government for her impending stint at UNC. He had met with UNC administration, Campus security and Chapel Hill Police department. He had employed staff and ran background checks on them, as well as UNC staff and the other tenants in the building she would be living. Thresh worked with Octavia and local contractors to make improvements and updates to where she would live, he had flown Wiress over and had her supervise the instillation of the appropriate security equipment. He had even found a local stable that could board Lady. In short Thresh did everything needed to make her transition as smooth and safe as possible.

Looking up Cato catches her eye and smiles, "Princess are you ready for our final meeting before we head off to UNC?"

Katniss smiles and pushes herself off the door frame and wanders over to the empty seat at the head of the table that is clearly meant for her. Looking over at her team she smiles at them, over the past five years they have developed into a well-oiled machine and have become some of her closest friends. "Yes, I am" she says sitting down waving her hand to indicate that she wants a casual meeting, "Go for it Thresh."

"Thanks Kat" Katniss smiles at the nickname, it is imperative for them all to get used to calling her Kat as if they are a group of friends not Princess and security team. "All the required modifications to your living Apartments have been completed and are all fully furnished. Wiress returned yesterday and reported that the security measures I requested are installed and working perfectly. All server firewalls are up and functional so the computer system is secure. Victor's Village Apartments are in the perfect location, easily accessible to campus, there are a few students living there, but the building is secure with a 24-hour guard and an underground secure garage. The location is also in a safe area with reputable business and a bustling pedestrian traffic, but it is an area where graduate students tend to live as opposed to underclassmen. Automobiles have been purchased and are waiting in the garage." Pulling out the blueprint he places it in front of her. "The building is not large, just six floors and there are only a few apartments per floor. Your main living apartment is the penthouse, where there were originally 2 apartments. We purchased both and remodeled them with permission from the building, now you have a decent sized apartment and the top floor is accessible by keycard only, through the elevator or front and back staircases. All routes including the fire escape have been alarmed appropriately."

Katniss nods at him to continue, taking notes in her mind at where he is pointing to things on the blueprints.

Thresh then pulls out a layout of her apartment and begins to go over it. Here is the main apartment Entranceway with mudroom and washer/dryer to the side as you enter. That opens into a living room, dining room, kitchen open concept space. There is a small office to the side for studying. There are two bedrooms on the left side of the back hallway here with a bathroom between. They will be the guest room and bodyguard room. On the right side are first a small half bath and then the door to your suite. It consists of a large bedroom with sitting area and private bath with walk-in closet here. At the very end of the hall is Clove's bedroom as you requested, to make it look as though you have room mates."

Katniss looks up and smiles, "Everything looks great Thresh, but where will the main hub be?

"We will be just below you on the fifth floor. The fifth floor has three apartments, two of them are occupied and the third is ours. The current occupants couldn't be more perfect. Madge Undersee is the only daughter of North Carolina's governor, George Undersee and his wife a former French socialite, Maysilee Donner. Madge occupies one apartment by herself and the other is occupied by her bodyguard. Madge is your age and also will be attending UNC in the program of graduate studies for foreign relations and politics. Her bodyguard is an ex-special forces Marine named Boggs, he's a good guy and welcomed working with us, and he even used the opportunity to upgrade some of his own security measures. The other apartment is our home base. It has four bedrooms one for Octavia, one for Johanna and the other two for Cato, Marvel and I to share. We have a nice living room and eat-in kitchen and we set up the office as our security room." Thresh finished showing her the second set of floorplans he set out.

"Looks good Thresh" Katniss praises him then turns to the rest of the team, "anyone else have any concerns?" Katniss looks at Cato where she notices his forehead wrinkle slightly and that means something is bothering him, but he doesn't say anything.

"Alex" she prods softly, "you have a concern, what is it?"

"Where is the weapons safe in My Princess' apartment? Also, I don't like that your night guard will not be sharing a wall with your bedroom. Maybe we should switch with Clove?" Cato states concern in his eyes.

"Thresh?" Katniss turns to look at her head, "Cato's concerns are valid, correct? Your thoughts?"

"Sorry, here are the two weapons safes in Katniss's apartment, thumbprint accessible as usual." Thresh continues pointing out two locations, "I have also hung some decorative swords on the walls, they are your favorite Cato." Thresh takes a breath and then continues, "I agree with being a little concerned with the not sharing a wall thing, it's not like in Moravia where getting onto the castle properties is like breaking into the bastille, but I did have some precautions taken. There are listening devices in Kat's room," at that Katniss bristles slightly causing Thresh to rush to continue. "The sound is piped into the guard's room only and you can turn it off if needed." That last statement causes Thresh and Katniss to blush. "Your privacy will not be compromised by your security, but please turn it on when you sleep. If you forget Cato here will go nuts."

His last statement has the room breaking out in light laughter, they all know any one of her guards will go nuts, but Cato is the most protective and doesn't mind being teased about it.

"So we're ready?" Katniss asks her team with a relaxed smile.

"Ready" Thresh replies for the team, at that they all relaxed, Cato calling for a 'family movie night' and Clove rushes off to get popcorn and snacks. Katniss excuses herself and spends the evening with Prim, her mom and dad, before they take off in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

A deep breath through the nose brings the comforting smell of yeast, cinnamon and espresso deep into his lungs. The smells of his childhood can relax him and yet simultaneously a small shift in these familiar scents can send his anxiety skyrocketing through the roof. Slowly opening his eyes, he takes advantage of a rare moment where there is a lull in customers to observe the bustling streets of Chapel Hill.

"You ready to start grad school bro?" Peeta looks up at his brother Rye who was peering at him over the counter of the bakery. Peeta somehow missed his entrance and wonders if Rye had muted the bell again.

"Yup, classes start tomorrow, although, if mom hadn't been such a bitch I would be graduated by now." Peeta replies not hiding the venom in his voice as he mentions his mother.

Peeta Mellark thinks about the last 4 years and how rough they have been and how most of it was due to his mother. Looking over at Rye his older brother by two years he sees the guilt and regret on his face and pulls back his animosity.

"I am happy Rye, thank you for sticking with me through all of this, Bannock too. I am grateful that the two of you will be helping me out more at the Bakery so I can attend grad school and get my MBA." Peeta thinks of how lucky he is that he and his brothers still have this one store, the original bakery.

"Yeah well, we all still need to live here", his brother responds referring to the original apartment in which they lived in where they were younger. "I'm sorry I just took off after and well I'm pretty sure Bannock would not be living here if his nasty bitch of an ex-wife wasn't taking him to the cleaners."

Peeta Mellark is the youngest of three sons of Farl and Meredith Mellark, his oldest brother Bannock is five years older than Peeta and Rye, the middle child two years older. Farl a third-generation baker began working in his father's Bakery full time at the age of 18, and he aspired beyond that of working in and then owning the family Bakery. So Farl worked hard, he began to go around to other smaller stores in other neighborhoods and asked if they would like to sell Mellark Baked Goods. A few cafes and coffee shops took a chance on him, a chance that would help Farl with his grand plan.

Chapel Hill is one corner of three cities that make up Research Triangle Park and it turns out the people that worked in the companies, liked to eat and had money to spend. At 22 while Farl was still helping his father he took that extra money from the café's and opened up a second Mellark's in Durham and in less than a year he had a third in Raleigh. And at 24 Farl's high school sweetheart and love of his life, left him for a Scientist that worked in one of the new technology companies in Research Triangle. Farl had been so busy working he forgot to pay attention to Jenn Bay and as she was serving customers in his new Raleigh location, she met John Parsons who did pay attention to her. After months of talking to her at the bakery John took a chance, not to ask her out. No, he asked her to marry him with a ring and all, and Jenn said yes, before one date or one kiss.

In his grief Farl dated several women over the course of a year and was careless. So Farl married Meredith when she was 4 months pregnant with Bannock. Meredith had been a freshman in high school when Farl and Jenn were seniors, she knew about them, but what she didn't know was that Farl still loved Jenn and most likely always would. Unfortunately, Meredith figured out that not only was she second choice behind Jenn, but that she was second behind the Bakery. Farl and his family lived above the Original bakery in the Apartment that he grew up in, they lived there when Rye was born three years after Bannock and they were still there when Peeta arrived two years after that.

Meredith, who should have been happy that she had three cherubic healthy boys, was angry. Angry because Peeta, 'who was supposed to be a girl, the little fucker' was a boy. She was Angry because Farl still loved Jenn and didn't love her, not like he should. Angry, because Farl was never home to help take care of 'his awful nasty badly behaved boys' the jerk. And in her anger Meredith became bitter; she tried withholding sex to manipulate her husband, which just drove him to have an affair. So, Meredith, bitter with her life and angry with her choices took it out on the boys, with her words and her fists. And Farl, in order not to have to admit to his mistakes and failings, concentrated on his business.

Soon the Mellark family was solidly upper middle class, and then they were moderately wealthy, miserable, but wealthy. To make up for her failings at home Meredith put up a front. A new house was purchased in a nice neighborhood and the boys were dressed well and expected to excel.

And they did excel, because despite their domineering nasty mother and father who overlooked things he shouldn't, all three boys were good kids. They loved each other, stuck together and in doing so could hide their embarrassing home life, or so they thought. All three boys were popular, excelled academically and athletically. All three were good looking boys; they had blonde hair with blue eyes. All three were exceptional wrestlers, with broad shoulders and strong builds and all three grew to just over six feet and each ended up winning states in their class.

Bannock, being the oldest and of a more serious nature and a people pleaser went to UNC and then on to law school to please his mother, he dated and married the girl his mother told him too. Rye was a bit of a rebel and a jokester who was never serious, ended up getting a degree in English and a minor in girls from UNC, although the latter wasn't a sanctioned degree.

Peeta, the youngest who was supposed to be a girl, was sensitive and artistic and Meredith didn't like it; even though his talent was acknowledged by the teachers at a very young age. George 'Plutarch' Havensbee was the director for the fine arts in the school district and an old friend and the Friday night poker buddy to Farl. When Peeta was in sixth grade Plutarch called on the Mellark family in their large, newer home one Wednesday night to offer Peeta an opportunity to participate in an elite program for burgeoning artistic children in the state. The chosen children would get to take art classes at UNC, there were only a few open seats and Plutarch had sent some of Peeta's work in and the board had unanimously accepted the boy into the program. Farl was at his Durham location, so Plutarch met with Meredith and was given a resounding NO.

Peeta did not have time to participate, his wrestling would suffer and her boy would not become a pansy art student. Plutarch had planned on telling Farl about the opportunity at poker that Friday, but the next day at school Peeta had a black eye. Rumors had been swirling for years regarding the Mellark boys and their mysterious injuries, so Plutarch took the boy aside and asked. But just like his brothers before Peeta denied that his mother was the cause, they had made a pact after all. It wasn't until years later, when Peeta had just started at UNC that he told Farl about the Art opportunity, and his suspicions regarding his wife.

To his credit Farl listened to his longtime friend, and he grew angry that Meredith had rejected the opportunity for Peeta. Then Plutarch speaks again this time his voice soft and serious, he talks of bruises and burns that although always accompanied and explanation were suspicious. His friend speaks of a pattern and how he had even gone to DCS once but was sent away because there was no evidence. Farl grows silent and pensive at the poker table his fingers holding his hand begins to tremble and the cards flutter to the floor. The suspicions that had been simmering in the back of his mind that he had pushed there to instead focus on the guilt of his behavior to his wife and his business.

His eyes burn red as he looks at a spot on the table in front of him and he lifts his head the shame burning the tips of his ears pink he sees the remainder of the men at the table looking at him cautiously.

"I can help you move your money and change your will." Farl's eyes snap over to his longtime friend and lawyer, Coriolanus Snow. "I know there really isn't much to be done now, since your boys are all grown and in school or graduated. But you can make sure that if anything happens to you that they get what you want them to have."

"You knew?" Farl asks looking around at the men his eyes stopping on the final member Philip Cray, "You all knew?"

"Suspected, Farl" Cray said gently, his voice as if talking to a scared child, "but I asked Bannock once and he denied it, sooo…I thought I was wrong."

"I let Peeta use my studio anytime he wanted, even set up a cot in there." Havensbee added, "I asked him as well. He denied it, I asked his best friend Delly Cartwright, and she replied that she had no idea what I was talking about, so I left it at that."

Farl pulled in a deep breath to steady his reeling mind and looked over at his friend Corny, "yeah, I will stop by your office tomorrow, but I don't want Meredith finding out. I'm going to give most of it to the boys and probably set up some accounts for them too."

Less than two years later with Bannock two months from graduating law school, Rye two months from graduation and Peeta 2 months from finishing his sophomore year at UNC, Farl feels ill late one night after a stressful day at his bakeries. His left arm radiates pain and he is certain that he hurt it carrying in those sacks of flour. Not two hours later Farl wakes up with the worst case of heartburn he has ever had, sitting up he looks at his wife sleeping beside him. The guilt he feels when he looks at her just barely outweighs the anger he has for what she may have or most probably did to his boys. As he makes his way to the bathroom to grab some tums he notices that his arms still aches and that his breath is coming hard, too hard. _Shit, I am having a heart attack_ , his head screams as he reaches for the phone.

"911, what's your Emergency?" An unfamiliar woman's voice greets him far too happily for 2 in the morning.

"I need an ambulance; I think I'm having a heart attack" he manages to wheeze out the pain has increased and Meredith has started to stir one lazy eye peaking open as she looks at him.

"Sir, I am dispatching an ambulance immediately, please confirm your address." The woman continues as she rattles off his correct home address.

"Yes, that's it, thank you I'm going downstairs to wait." Farl hangs up and looks at the woman beside him who is now fully awake and worried. "Help me downstairs Mer, I think I'm having a heart attack."

Tears spring to her eyes and she quietly and quickly complies with his request for the first time in years she is compliant with his wishes. The ambulance arrives quickly and he asks his wife to call the boys and as they load him into the ambulance the last thing on his mind is that he never gave Corny his last will, and then the bliss of darkness overtakes him.

The night before he starts his classes for grad school Peeta reflects on all that has happened since that fateful night a little over four years ago when he received the frantic call from his mother followed by his early morning race to the hospital to make it there just hours before his father's passing. Peeta, Rye and Bannock had all miraculously made it to the hospital in time to say goodbye, even though their father never regained consciousness. During the event Peeta remembers that he hoped that it was a bad dream and that he would wake soon, but it wasn't. It was just the start of what would become a yearlong nightmare.

He and his brothers helped his grieving mother with the funeral plans and simultaneously tried to keep his father's Bakery Empire going. Within a week they had buried his father, half the town showing up, but it was his father's good friends Philip Cray, Plutarch Havensbee and Coriolanus Snow that stayed, helped and grieved right along with the brothers. As Coriolanus Snow left the reception he pulled Peeta aside and told him to make sure that he visits him if things get tough, Peeta nodded but in his grief, it didn't register until later, much later.

The boys all went back to school to finish out their respective semesters, Bannock and Rye each graduated in May. Bannock got a job in a law firm and a week later married his longtime girlfriend. Rye took off for his planned graduation trip to Europe, his grief driving his need to leave. Peeta finished out his sophomore semester and came home to work in his father's Bakery to find that his mother had been making some changes.

In the few weeks while they were finishing school Meredith had sold three of the Mellark's Bakery locations to a competitor, leaving only 3 remaining locations, the original one and the first two Farl had opened. Then when Peeta tried to get his grades he found that his mother had failed to pay the final bill for the year. When he asked her about it, she told him that there was no more money for his ridiculous schooling, that she had never authorized him to major in education and Art. She told him he was worthless, being an Art teacher was worthless and that he was needed to run his father's Bakery.

Meredith withheld money, took vacations and bought herself a new car. Peeta worked hard at the bakery to try and make enough money to pay UNC so they could release his final grades and when he finally did he found he had made the dean's list for the fourth semester in a row. His mother became nastier then she had ever been before, berating him and Peeta had to drop out of school. His mother began dating, much younger men, men that she spent money on, his college money. Finally, he couldn't live with his mom anymore and moved into the small long unoccupied apartment above the original Bakery. Rye didn't come home; he went to India to escape his sorrows. Bannock was busy trying to work 70-hour work weeks in a job he instantly hated and placate a wife who immediately wanted 'more'.

And Peeta grew angry; he sold his sensible car and bought a motorcycle. He started drinking and partying with the crowd from his high school that he never would have hung out with. He began fucking girls to feel a high, to feel good and he baked. Peeta worked and baked and watched his mom slowly destroy all his father had built. Peeta lifted and began boxing at a local gym to hit out the anger. He felt he would never finish college, never get what he wanted. It was all he could do to keep his mom from destroying the original Bakery.

It was the one-year anniversary of his father's death, when Peeta wakes up with Glimmer DeSoto in his bed, _god he hates the bitch_ , she had been a recurrent fuck over the past six months but she wanted more and he didn't. Dragging himself out of bed he slogs his hung-over ass to the bathroom and splashes water on his face. Looking up, Peeta takes a glimpse at himself and realizes he doesn't like what he sees. This is not him, this is not who he wants to be. Fuck his mother, he will figure this out, and there is no way he is going to let her win. Because really that's what he has been doing this past year, letting his mother change him into who she has always said he is, and he won't allow it anymore.

Kicking Glimmer out Peeta grabs some food and straddles his bike and takes off. He finds himself at the nature preserve that's not far from where he lives and he takes off through the woods and finds himself in a small boggy shore of a lake (pond really) where his father used to take him and his brothers to fish when he had time.

Lying down on the ground Peeta finally allows himself to grieve, not just for his father, but for himself and what he has let himself become. He sobs openly for what feels like hour before he falls asleep in the sun filtering through the breaks in the trees that hover above. The sun is high in the sky and on its way back down the other side as his blinking opens to the sight of a delicate stem with a three-petal white flower. In his sleep his head must have turned, and as he wakes up the name of the entrancing delicate flower seeps into his brain, _Sagittaria fasciculate or arrowhead_. It's a plant his father told him about, the Native Americans ate the tuber attached to the plant; it's why its nickname is _Duck potato_. That over the years this strain of the plant that only grows in North and South Carolina has become endangered. His father always loved this flower, how it continued to thrive even when humans were trying to take away its natural habitat.

As he looked at the beautiful simple flower before him, Peeta began to feel hope. If this plant can thrive then so can he. Pulling himself up off the ground he takes a moment to memorize the delicate white three petal flower, the burst of red-orange in the center that surrounds the yellow pollen in the center. The tall stalk that has stems leading off each to a single flower up and down like a vine.

Later that evening Peeta locks himself in his father's small office in the original Bakery. It's not the office his father used every day, it's small and cramped unlike the big one at the sprawling house he left his mother in. Pulling out some paper and colored pencils Peeta starts drawing. He is in the small musty office on a Saturday night, ignoring the texts asking why he is not at the party down at Bristel's house. He keeps ignoring the texts from Glimmer, from Leevy and from Devlin Cartwright. When he finishes he looks at the design, he has drawn a picture from the Sagittaria fasciculate. A picture that will be a tattoo and he plans on getting it tomorrow.

Pulling open a drawer he looks for a manila envelope to place his design in, to protect it. Spotting one in the bottom drawer Peeta pulls it out, there is no writing on the outside, but there is something within. As he dumps it out on the desk the writing on the papers is familiar and brings tears to his eyes. On the papers he sees dates a few months before his father's death. As he looks through the stack he starts to shake slightly, he sees statements to accounts, he sees that he and his brothers are named sole beneficiary. As it begins to dawn on him what this might mean he notices a familiar name on the page. He needs clarity and answers, before his mother takes everything, liquidates everything and keeps it for herself. He picks up the phone and dials his father's lawyer, Coriolanus Snow.

It turns out his father didn't leave everything to his mother and since his dad had not filed the last will with his lawyer before he died Corny couldn't contest it. Peeta and his brothers had been ignoring the man's phone calls as Corny had been trying to make contact, to see if they could find the real will. Last will in hand, Peeta is able wrestle control of the bakeries (or bakery) away from his mother. His brother Rye was called back, Bannock stepped in and they could sue for the money his mother took. They were unable to get it all back, and she was still left with the house and 50% of the retirement fund and bank account Farl and Meredith had shared leaving her more than enough to live on, just not in the lifestyle she wanted. Fortunately, she had not known of the three accounts Farl had set up for his boys, so they had remained untouched. There was more than enough for Peeta to go back to school, so he did.

It took three years while he worked at running the Bakery, but Peeta finished his bachelor's degree in Art education. In those three years that Peeta worked on his degree he also worked on himself. He found a good therapist, he began to draw and paint again for himself. He stopped partying every night, he stopped screwing around, he continued with the physical activity but with a less violent bent and he began to like himself again. In that time his brother Bannock and his brother Rye have returned to live with him in the apartment above the bakery. At the age of 25 Peeta decided that he would get an MBA, he would like to see if he and his brothers can resurrect what his father had built and his mother had torn down.

 _There she is again_ , it is a month into his first semester back at UNC and he is pretty sure his body is going crazy. Ever since he broke up with Delly 6 months ago he has been celibate, which he is content with. After Peeta vowed to get his life back on track he stopped screwing around and rekindled his close friendship with Delly Cartwright, his childhood best friend. One evening Delly was crying on his shoulder about her latest breakup with her long-time on again off again live in boyfriend who had just moved out and suddenly she leaned in and kissed him.

Pushing her away gently Peeta explained that although he loved her, he wasn't in-love with her and most likely never will be. He reminded her of what he had done during that year of hell and how even over year later he was still putting his life back together and trying not to fall back in the rabbit hole of using sex as an escape. Delly insisted that it wasn't anything more than friendship on her part and that she was leaning on him to get over her ex.

"Can't we just have that?" Delly exclaimed, "Friends with benefits, a relationship that is stable for a little while as we both get our lives on track?" Peeta thought of this for a bit, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea, it might keep all the girls away while he got his life together and it would help Delly out, they would both be less lonely so he gave in,

"Sure, I guess" he replied tentatively, "Just as long as we are both on the same page. I don't love you and you don't love me and this ends as soon as one of us decides it should. This has a shelf life Delly, a short one, I want to fall in love, get married, have kids the whole shebang and I want it with a girl I am desperately in-love with. Not just fall into something because it is easy and familiar." Delly agreed and with that their friendship turned into a yearlong relationship and she was there as he got his life back on track. He broke it off 6 months ago when she asked when he was going to produce a ring after he told her he was continuing with school after he graduated. They had a fight and then they talked, Peeta reminded her of their conversation at the beginning and they both agreed the relationship wasn't going to be permanent and he had not been shy in letting her know that over the past year, in fact she always agreed with him when the subject came up. Delly had said she was using him to get over her ex, she had agreed that their relationship had an expiration date when they started it, but apparently, she had changed her mind.

So now he is six months single and stupidly thinking that love at first sight might exist, because ever since she first walked into his Bakery at the beginning of the school year he is beginning to believe it might. He knows her schedule, hell she is even in three of his courses, so he is certain she is an MBA student like him. She is in his Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10am Analytical Tools course, and then in his Tuesday / Thursday Financial accounting and financial Tools courses. She also comes in to the Bakery every day, but she is never alone. On days when she has her Analytical tools class she is with another girl who looks older and has short spiky hair, they sit together in class. She has several friends that she is always with that he can identify, he feels like an idiot stalker, but he cannot help it, she is the most beautiful intriguing woman he has ever seen.

It was her eyes that first got his attention the first time he took her order; they were a silver color like nothing he had ever seen before. Her olive flawless skin radiates health and her body although thin is strong and lean in an acutely feminine way. She isn't overly endowed, like most of the girls he knew had purchased to achieve, no she was just the right size for her body, enough to fit in the palm of his hand, he is sure of it. Her hair is long and thick a luscious chocolate color and it is usually casually braided and falling over her shoulder. She wears very little makeup if any and is always dressed simply, nice but clearly, she is not looking for attention like most college girls. She is naturally beautiful, with freckles and a scowl that graces her plump lips while she pays attention in class.

Peeta can see that she is serious, quiet, smart, introspective and someone who doesn't crave attention or the spotlight. But there is something about the way that she carries herself that just draws him like a moth to a flame, a quiet confidence that says, 'I am happy with who I am' and Peeta adores it. Her voice is soft, has a musical quality and the most perfect accent ever, he thought it might be British, but it isn't, and when he first heard her laugh butterflies erupted in his stomach. He knows her order by heart, a hot chocolate (sometimes with a shot of espresso) and a cheese bun (although occasionally she gets a cinnamon bun). When she comes in on the weekends it is a little later in the morning and she dresses as if she has been riding a horse. He is also certain that she has never taken a second glance at him.

At first, he thought she had a boyfriend, this huge muscular blonde guy who dotes on her every move, he isn't with her every day, but he is with her a lot. Peeta then noticed that she had several male friends that she is with on different occasions. A tall dark-skinned man who is almost as big as the blonde. There is a shorter brown-haired man who is a hair shorter than Peeta, who is immensely handsome. Finally, there is a shorter brunette girl with medium length hair who is also attractive just not as attractive as her, but all of them share a similar accent. Then he noticed that the huge dark-skinned man and the medium length haired brunette would come in together occasionally acting like a couple. Then one day he saw the brown haired handsome guy flirt with another guy in his shop. Again, he worried that she and the blonde were together, but over time he realizes that they never acted as such, he seems to act more like an over protective brother. This makes him happy, although he isn't sure why, he doesn't even know her name.

"Are you ever going to talk to her?" Bannock's voice is so close to his ear he almost jumps.

"What" Peeta asks annoyed that he was most likely caught staring as he watched her walk out, today she was with the blonde guy and her short haired friend.

"That girl, the one you always stare at when she comes in here, which is pretty much daily."

"I don't know who you are talking about?" Peeta denies, most likely a little too quickly especially since his brothers know him well.

"Yes, you do Miss. Hot Chocolate and Cheese Buns. Come on Peet, it's not like you to be so shy around girls, just ask her out." Bannock goads at him pushing silently and it's not like he hasn't thought of doing just that, he has, it is just…

"She is never alone and I don't know her name." Peeta realizes the last fact and it stings a little, "she is in three of my classes and I don't know her name."

"Well start by asking her name and then maybe ask to study together, get a group going or something." Bannock snickers at him; he must look like an idiot who has no idea how to talk to girls. It's not that Peeta doesn't know how to talk to girls, fuck he usually has to fend them off with a stick, it's **her** , one look at her and he is shy. Crap then it hits him if Bannock knows then…

"Fuck Ban, do you think she knows? Do you think she sees me staring at her? Maybe she thinks I'm some sort of staring freak or worse a stalker." He is getting all worked up and he must calm down because he needs to leave for class or he will be late, the class she is in.

"Calm down, I don't think she sees the moony look in your eye. You are pretty good at hiding it, well except from Rye and I…and I think the pixie haired vixen that she is friends with." Bannocks voice rumbles at him as they finish restocking the case from the morning rush. "That woman looks like nothing gets past her; you better head out for class. See you later baby bro."

It isn't until the end of October that Peeta finally gets the chance to know her name, in a very normal non-creepy way. It is the last Saturday of October when she comes in, a little earlier then her normal Saturday time, not that he knew her exact schedule or anything. When she walks in Peeta notices that along with one of her normal friends she is walking and chatting with Madge Undersee.

Peeta had gone to the same school as Madge, and even though he is two years older they had known each other, been friends even. Peeta knew Madge from student government, National Honor Society and the Community Service group. They had both been Presidents of their respective classes and Peeta had been a mentor to her as such. She had been a senior in High School the year he had lost his father, she had attended the funeral. And later that summer when he had been spiraling she had seen him at a party he was attending before she was to leave for Duke. He was drunk and had just finished screwing some random girl in Leevy's bedroom.

Peeta was shocked when he saw her; Madge didn't come to these parties, not with this crowd. Madge had marched up to him and reached up grabbing him by his ear and pulled him outside like he was a misbehaving little boy, which perhaps he was, and with that she proceeded to give him a talking too. It didn't work at the time, but later when he found the will and he made the vow to turn his life around he sent her a letter. He thanked her for her lecture, he told her what had happened and though it wasn't an excuse he told her what he was doing now and how he was turning his life around and 'Thank You for believing in me'.

They kept in touch after that; he liked her, like a little sister. Madge is beautiful but he was never attracted to her. And now here she is the answer to his dreams by talking with **her** , he can talk to Madge to have an excuse to know her name, his silver eyed goddess.

"Madge" he lets out a happy cry and walks around the counter to give her a friendly, very brotherly kind of hug. Madge smiles back at him and returns his hug back, and he turns to them. "I haven't seen you in so long, heard you're at UNC for grad school."

"Yup" Madge replies, "sorry I haven't been in to visit, but eating here is addicting and not that great for my figure."

Peeta walks behind the counter and smiles, "well I hope you are here to indulge, what can I get you?" he asks Madge while sending her silver eyed companion a congenial smile.

"Cappuccino and a cinnamon roll…and" Madge turns to the girl next to her who opens her mouth to order, but Peeta beats her to it.

"Hot Chocolate and a Cheesebun." Peeta states for her smiling at the dark-haired beauty. "Or will it be a Cinnamon Roll today and is it an espresso shot in your hot chocolate kind of morning?" He takes pleasure that she looks surprised that he knows her order and he internally danced a jig as he begins to plate up the treats.

"The first will be fine, thank you" she replies. Her tone is polite, musical and soft, so sweet and he just wants to jump over the counter and kiss her.

"Coffee with milk and sugar, right?" he says as he acknowledges the big blonde guy that is right behind her. The guy may be physically scary but his smile is friendly as he nods his head in assent.

"Are you staying in today, or is it to go?" Peeta asks both girls although he is focusing all his non-existent ESP powers on getting them to stay.

Madge turns to the girl, _**his**_ girl, "what do you say, want to eat here?"

"That sounds fine" the answer is music to his ears as he tells the girls to take a seat and that he would bring them their drinks. Hurrying to the back he yells for his brother to come up front and help their barista, Thom.

"I'm taking my break now" he informs Bannock as he gives him a 'please help me look'. He observes as Bannock take a quick look into the front seating area where the several tables are located as well as a few comfortable chairs and a couch. Peeta notices Bannock's eyes light up when they land on the small table where Madge and his silver-eyed goddess sit, he smiles and assents with a soft "go".

Gathering the three orders on a tray he then adds and extra hot chocolate and a small sugar bun for himself and then tries to look as casual as he can as he saunters up to the table. He immediately served her first, then Madge and then he hands the blonde behemoth his coffee and then smiling his biggest smile possible with his heart pounding in his ears and asks, "Would you mind if I joined you while on my break?"

Madge smiles and laughs responding, "Peeta of course, I am just laughing because as I was walking out of my apartment building I ran into Kat here and we are both planning to head to the library. So, we decided to walk together and on the way, she said she just **had** to stop for breakfast at her favorite place." Madge then turns to look at her, Kat, and continues, "What did you call it…a 'little hidden gem'?"

"It is" the girl of his dreams replies a small smile on her lips, _Kat her name is Kat_.

"Then she turned and walked right into Mellark's Bakery, I was just telling her how I loved this place before I went to Duke, but haven't really been back in because of my figure, avoiding carbs and all." Madge then turns back to Kat and continues, "I can't believe you get breakfast from here every morning and stay so thin. God I'm going to have to run a few miles just to take this cinnamon roll off of my hips."

"Madge, you look fine, always have" Peeta smiles at her but he turns and focuses his attention back on **her** , _Kat, I wonder if it's short for something_. "But I really am happy to get the opportunity to meet one of our best customers, especially one that sings our praises to others." He holds out his hand in greeting and introduces himself, "Peeta".

"Kat" she replies back shaking his hand. As soon as her soft delicate hand slips into his it's a wonder he can breathe. His skin tingles where her warm hand touches his and sends a shock up his arm that hits him right in his heart. Looking at the slight surprise that shows in her eyes he wonders if she feels the same thing he does.

"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't know you didn't know each other", Madge says quickly as he reluctantly withdraws his hand from hers to shake hands with Thor behind her.

"Cato" Thor says a smile on his face, and Peeta is still hoping that they aren't together.

"Kat and I just met each other, Cato lives in the apartment across the hall from me with some friends and Katniss lives in the apartment above me. She goes to UNC for grad school too." Madge chatters on happily.

"I know, you're in the MBA program, we have a few classes together." Peeta smiles gently at Kat then turns to Cato to include him as well, "I think you might be in a few of my classes as well. Are you going for an MBA too?"

"Nah, I'm just auditing a few classes I am interested in. I have a job and a career already." Cato chuckles his reply and Peeta finds that he likes this guy, he may be physically intimidating but Peeta thinks he could be a friend.

"So, you're getting your MBA too?" Madge asks him.

"Yes, just started, it may take me an extra year, with running this place and trying to open up another location. Bannock is back as he figures out his life post-divorce and Rye is trying to get a Master's in education so he can use his English degree and go into teaching." Peeta smiles although it still pains him that this was the only location that was left after his mom tried to rip his father's little empire asunder.

He notices the look of confusion flit across Kat's face before she asks, "you run this place"?

"Yes, I own it with my brothers; we inherited it from our dad. I'm Peeta Mellark" he then points to his brother behind the counter, "That's Bannock, or Ban, my oldest brother, and if you see another one that looks like us that's Rye. Although you should stay away from him, his majors in college were English and Seducing Women, not necessarily in that order." Peeta laughs as if he is trying to make a joke, but god help his brother if he makes a move on this girl. Then an idea flits in his brain, "although I am sure your boyfriend here can protect you from unwanted advances." He smiles as he points at Cato/Thor who is seated slightly behind her.

"I don't have a boyfriend", the words were the most wonderful things he has ever heard. "Cato is a good friend, kind of like an over protective big brother." He can barely hear what she is saying he is so focused on her voice it is so beautiful and her accent is so intriguing so he just blurts out.

"Where are you from?" then he realizes how that sounds and backtracks a little, "I mean you, both of you, have such interesting accents but I can't place it. I have been trying to figure it out since you and your friends started coming here a couple months ago and then I was even more intrigued when I realized you were in my classes. There is no way you are from America, right, and it's not Canadian or British, but it has a British quality to it…"?

"We are from a small country just west of the Czech Republic called Moravia." Kat replies with a small smile on her face. "A bunch of us have been friends forever and came over together, for school and the experience."

"Wow that's far, I remember studying Moravia in school, there is a small art museum in the capitol, I think, that has some masterpieces. There are some great pieces by Caravaggio that contrast light and dark with vibrant colors that I have always wanted to see. Don't you have a monarchy for a government or something like that?" Peeta asks wistfully, pretty much everyplace in Europe has a museum he wants to visit.

"We do it's called the Přemyslid Museum of Art, located just off the palace grounds in the capital. It is small compare to the Louvre or the Met in New York, it is more the size of the Borghese museum in Rome, but it is Moravia's Museum." Peeta watches as she smiles, Kat obviously takes pride in her country.

"Moravia is home and we very much love our Royal family, but I like it here too" Cato answers easily, "my job is more relaxed and I like your food."

"Good to know" Peeta said throwing out a teasing tone, "My food here…or US food in general?"

"My favorite is the cheese buns" Kat blurts out, but then he notices a delectable pink tinge on her cheeks as if she is embarrassed.

 _She likes his cheese buns_ , he is elated, _play it cool man_ , "Well I'll just have to make sure there are plenty here for you over the next two years, can't disappoint a daily customer."

"We will be here for three years" she replies her eyes wide in wonder, "you make those cheese buns?"

"Yes, I actually invented them; I was fiddling with an old recipe of my grandfather's about 15 years ago, when I came up with these. They were an instant hit, right Madge?" Peeta includes Madge in the conversation, _follow Rye's advice: be friends with the friend of the girl you like,_ he thinks, _she is here for three years and you have three years to get her to fall in love with you._

"Oh yes, they were" Madge chimes in, "Peeta and I went to the same school although he was two years ahead of me, food from Mellark's Bakery always made it into the school."

"Where are you living Madge if not back with your mom?" he asks, it's a way to figure out where his perfect goddess lives.

"Oh no, I'm at Victor's Village apartments, just a block from here. Where are you living? I know you are not with your mom." Madge asks, he blinks looking at her. _How could Madge bring up his mother_ , he sees the concern in her eyes for him so he answers, of course Madge has no clue how he feels about the girl with the silver eyes.

"No, all three of us live in the old Apartment upstairs while Coriolanus Snow deals with the estate lawsuit and Ban's divorce with the gold digging shrew." He lets his eyes flit over to silver ones to look for disgust, but he finds none there just confusion, maybe a bit of sadness or understanding. "So just around the corner from you guys." He says trying to brighten the mood back up.

"Oh Peeta" Madge says changing the subject deftly. "I was trying to explain Halloween to Kat and Cato; they don't have it over there. I was trying to convince them to head to a Costume party; do you know of any good ones?"

His heart stammers and he almost gets dizzy with how fast it is beating with the opportunity Madge just dropped in his lap. Quickly he looks over at Kat trying to gauge what he knows about her and her current look of uneasiness to make the best selection.

"Well, The Hob always has a decent one, it's fairly low key. Not everyone dresses up in a costume and you can be inconspicuous there if a full-on rager is not your scene. You can just get a table and eat food if you like, drink some beers watch people make fools of themselves. Its tonight, I think it starts around 9ish. I was thinking of going, you all could join me and Bannock, Rye is opening in the am." _Please, please, please_ , is all he can think as his mind pleads for her to come he tries to look indifferent about it.

"Oh that sounds like fun!" Madge squeals, "Kat, Cato what do you think? You should bring some of your other roommates."

"I'm not sure," Kat starts out her voice uneasy, "I'll have to check with my friends…"

"Well", Peeta says smiling standing up, "my breaks over. Madge it's great to see you. Cato and Kat it's nice to meet you both, to finally put names to faces. Bannock and I will be in the back of the hob at one of the quieter tables if you decide to show up tonight, but minimally I will see you around." He quickly buses their table, smiles and waves then heads into the kitchen before he does something stupid, like kiss her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

She noticed him the first time they walked into the quaint little Bakery about a block from her apartment building. The first time she went in there she was with Jo and Marvel before she headed off to her first class. With her first step into the Bakery the smells hit her, yeast, bread, cinnamon and other spices and coffee. It is that intoxicating combination of scents that relaxes you and causes your stomach to rumble at the same time, the heady smell that has you feeling comfort no matter where you are. Katniss instantly feels at home in the place, it is not over done, and it doesn't feel like a chain. There is a bunch of chairs and tables set up to be a comfortable spot to sit off to the side and the counter is a glass display case that shows off a multitude of treats, some that look familiar others that look like they are only created here. The place has that feel of history, nothing is too new, like in a chain, but it is far from run down. It is well-maintained and looks loved. The crowd is happy and there is a chalk board with the menu hand written, there are doodles and flourishes and it looks like an artist created that board.

There is a line, it's not too long and it looks to be moving and filled with people that look happy to be there, getting coffee and pastries. Her eyes are instantly drawn to the case that is filled with potential things for her to try. She notices the decorated cakes are displayed off to the sides and they are beautiful, making it clear this is a full-fledged bakery, not a coffee shop that has some treats pretending to be a bakery. Her eyes are drawn to the wall of wooden barrels behind the counter filled with different types of bread, from baguettes to something called fruit and nut.

"Can I help you" the voice is smooth and deep with just a hint of a delicious southern accent that she has learned to appreciate over the few days she has been in the states. Startled she looks up not realizing she and Jo have made it to the counter only to be met with the most startling blue eyes she has ever seen. They are as blue as the flowers in the fields at home, vibrant and kind. Jo's voice ordering coffees and bagels for herself and Marvel is enough to break Katniss out of her trance long enough to ask for a hot chocolate and something called a cheese bun. Surreptitiously she observes blue eyes before her as he packs up their food and takes her money; her eyes wander from his eyes up to the blonde wavy hair that falls just over his eyes.

"Thank you very much, your drinks will be up in a moment" when blue eyes talks her eyes wander to his pink full lips that are turned up in a lopsided smile that reveals a dimple in his cheek. Katniss wonders how soft his lips are before catching herself in embarrassment and stepping away from the counter, so he can help the next person with the same cheerful voice. Her thoughts are full of that voice, his eyes and crooked smile and what they did to her insides, as she walks to her fist class. She takes a seat near the front of the classroom close to the door, as instructed by Johanna. Marvel has already staked himself outside the classroom in an inconspicuous place to eat his bagel, drink his coffee and make it look like he is studying.

She quietly eats her delicious cheese bun concoction that has immediately become her most favorite thing ever. The melting savory cheese inside the sweet bun, god it is confection heaven, while Jo is eating the bagel declaring it one of the best she has ever had. They converse quietly while Katniss and Jo watch her fellow students file in and take seats in the large lecture hall. Her eyes open wide and she gasps under her breath when she sees him walk in, she feels Jo tense besides her, most likely wondering if he is stalking Katniss. Then he swings a backpack off of his back and it's clear he is a student too. As he walks towards them and past them is when Katniss notices his physique, he is wearing a simple white tee, but it clings to his broad shoulders and the sleeves grip around his powerful arms, slightly revealing what she thinks is a tattoo around one upper bicep. His dark jeans cling to his legs which are clearly muscular hidden underneath the denim. Katniss takes a cautious peak as he saunters by to get a glimpse of his ass in those jeans and it is so perfect she lets out a soft sigh before she can stop herself.

"Damn, hard not to notice that, huh" Jo's whispered voice holds a hint of amusement and a tone of interest.

"Yeah" Katniss breathes out, but she can hear the twittering coming from other girls in the classroom and she knows that they have all noticed. "Obviously everyone noticed." She whispers, and she hopes her voice does not hold the note of jealousy that she knows could be there and that Johanna doesn't notice the wistfulness she feels.

"Think he would be interested in a little action with an older woman?" Johanna's voice has a teasing lilt to it but it doesn't stop Katniss from sending her one of her nastiest glares before she can stop herself. Katniss knows she is caught when Jo begins to snicker at her, "Oh, oh, oh Brainless, nice look. Don't worry I'm just teasing I just wanted to see if our little Kat might have a crush. And judging by the look you just sent my way and the horrified look on your face now, I would say you do."

Mortified Katniss feels her face flushing, thank god that her olive toned skin hides her blush, "Shut up Jo, I thought he was cute at the Bakery, his eyes are really something. I didn't get a good look at him since he was behind the counter and had on an apron with a larger t-shirt. But…forget it, it doesn't matter." Her voice mutters off, because the professor has walked in and is introducing herself. Katniss takes out her laptop and begins taking notes signaling the end of the conversation, she hoped for forever.

The Bakery quickly becomes a daily routine for her, it doesn't matter who she is with, Katniss makes it a point to grab her breakfast there almost every day. The food is wonderful, fresh and tasty; she also likes the hot chocolate. Just like the pastries there is a twist to it that gives it a unique spin making it impossible to replicate, it has a bit of spice to it that Katniss cannot quite place. She wonders if she should have a pastry chef from Moravia come and figure out how to make the cheese buns and the cinnamon rolls, because she has never tasted anything so wonderful in her life. This of course has NOTHING to do with the guy from her class that works at the counter. It has NOTHING to do with his smile or his voice or his floppy curly hair and stupid dimple, absolutely NOT. Even worse, or better depending on how she looked at it, he is in three of Katniss' classes, with his t-shirts and jeans.

"Why don't you just flirt with him?" her head whips around to see Johanna's eyes devilishly twinkling at her. It has been a month since they had this first conversation and Katniss had hoped that Jo had dropped it or maybe even forgotten about it, but the other day the worst thing possible happened.

It was such a beautiful day that they had decided to eat their breakfast under a tree outside the building before class. As they sat their relaxing the hottest thing ever happened, a guy pulled up on a motorcycle, not just any guy a super-hot guy that had her, Jo and most of the female population within viewing radius drooling. Then he took off the helmet and, fuck if it wasn't blue eyes. "Well shit, if it isn't Blondie from the bakery" Jo muttered under her breath, "doesn't that just take his hotness factor and ratchet it up a notch or two… or maybe three." Katniss just nods totally afraid that her voice won't work her mouth has gone so dry, because yes it did, and the worst part is, the guy acted like he didn't even know it. He just smiles amiably at people as he made his into the building like he does at the bakery.

"No" Katniss scowled back at her friend.

"Aww common Kat he seems like a nice guy, I bet he would flirt back." Jo needled at her.

"No Jo, stop badgering me about it." This line of questioning is really getting annoying and right now she is seriously thinking about putting an arrow through Jo's eye. Katniss watches blue eyes make his way to the back of the auditorium and the amount of silicone that immediately surrounds him may be bad for the environment. Jo is right he seems like a nice guy, clearly, he is intelligent and hardworking, but there is such a juxtaposition about him that makes her nervous. His friendly demeanor, care-free laugh, adorable smile and sweet eyes paired with his floppy hair give him that approachable boy next door vibe. But then his physique is sinful, and he wears those t-shirts just a tad too small, so you know he knows he looks good and she doesn't even want to start on the jeans that hug his ass and thighs especially when he is riding the motorcycle and throw in the mysterious peek-a-boo tattoo and then he is giving off a James Dean kind of trouble vibe.

"Why not?" Jo's tone isn't teasing, and it has Katniss looking up at the woman who has been with her almost daily for seven years. Her face has an inquisitive older sister kind of thing going right now.

"Just…" Katniss takes a deep breath _, just say it_ , "It's just…that kind of guy…well you know."

"No, I don't know" Jo prods gently.

She can feel the embarrassment in her chest, "that kind of guy just…doesn't go for a girl like me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Joe barks at her. "What kind of guy doesn't like you? You are very pretty and smart and nice."

"I know Jo, but… he can pretty much get any girl here. And I want a relationship, guys that look like that…well I think he would want more of a model type you know."

"You mean fake and slutty"

"Well, I didn't say that, just not me." Katniss is bright red now and totally mortified, "Just drop it Jo, he doesn't even know I exist. I go in the Bakery on a daily basis and he is in three of my classes and I don't think he knows I exist. I think if I was his type he would have talked to me by now, but I am not a big busted, tight short skirt wearing kind of girl" she hisses.

"You know how you hate it when people make assumptions about you based on the fact that you are a princess or on your looks?" Jo says looking at her fiercely.

"Yeah"

"It seems to me you are doing that to Blondie. How do you know he wouldn't want a relationship or a commitment? How do you know he doesn't want to date someone for their brains and personality?"

Sighing Katniss knows that she has done just that, but she is still pretty sure he wouldn't go for a girl like her, "You mean a girl with the personality of a slug?"

"Your Uncle is a blowhard and you know it." Johanna blows out a breath clearly exasperated at her, "just promise me…if blondie there asks you out you will give him a chance."

"Sure" came her easy reply, because Katniss knows it will never happen.

"Hold the elevator." Marvel sticks his hand out to prevent the door from closing and a whirlwind of long blonde wavy hair rushes into the elevator.

Katniss looks over and sees a very attractive curvaceous girl with pretty hazel eyes still huffing slightly smiling at her over the package she is holding in her arms.

"Thanks, you must be my neighbors; I'm Madge Undersee by the way apartment 501." The blonde greets her and Marvel with a practiced blinding smile of perfect white teeth and her hand extended like the politician's daughter Katniss knows she is.

"Kat Everdeen apartment 601" Katniss replied taking the girls hand for a shake, a very American gesture she is still not used too. She isn't comfortable with touching, probably because most people have been bowing or curtseying to her all her life or it could be that people aren't **allowed** to touch her. And her team gets nervous when people try to hug or touch her anyway, except children; Katniss loves touching little children,

"Richard Marvel, apartment 502 but you can just call me Marvel" and in typical Marvel fashion Katniss watches as he elegantly kisses the back of Madge's hand instead of shaking it. This action causes Madge to visibly melt her eyes skimming up and down Marvel appreciatively. Katniss can feel the humor in his eyes, he knows what he has done, but it is with purpose, distract the target make them trust you. Not that this girl needs that or is a threat but coming across as unthreatening is Marvel's specialty and he never turns it off.

"Oh, I met one of your roommates a few weeks ago, Thresh. He seems really nice; you guys are good neighbors; quiet with no raging parties. I was a little apprehensive when you first moved in, all that construction and then I saw it was a bunch of young guys I was worried, especially when I saw the huge blonde football player, but you aren't what I expected at all. It must be because you are European; you are all so much more mature then the typical college guys." Madge gushes at Marvel her smile beaming at him. Katniss wonders what she knows from her bodyguard, although the handful of times she has seen the young woman that stands in front of her she has been alone, _what kind of bodyguard does that_?

"We are all older then you think, and we aren't students we are professionals sent here on business to do a job, except for Kat and Clove." Marvel smiles brightly as all three step out of the elevator and into the pristine quiet lobby, "Right Kat?" This maneuver effectively brings the focus of the conversation back to her.

"Yes, you guys may be old, but Clove and I are only 23, we have been friends forever. I'm here to get my MBA and Clove is here to get a master's in Public relations." Katniss jumps in before the girl can ask what business they are in.

Madge turns her megawatt smile back on her, "Oh I met Clove the other day, she is adorable, and I am 23 too, ohhh we should be friends!" the high-pitched sound that reaches Katniss' ears resemble more that of an excited mouse then a girl, irritating Katniss considerably. But this woman's friendly demeanor and even this high pitched girly voice paired with the toe bouncing is so very reminiscent of Prim that Katniss cannot contain the smile or stop herself from saying yes.

"Actually, Clove and I are having a girl's night with our friend Johanna tonight, to unwind from the week. Wine, takeout Chinese and chick flicks want to join us?" Katniss is fairly sure the girl said yes, it was hard to tell amongst the giggling and gushing but it is nice to make a new friend.

Katniss likes Madge, at their first meeting Katniss thought she might be one of those silly girls that just squeals and WooHoo(s) everything, but that is not the case. Madge is quiet and serious, intelligent and witty and she fits in Katniss's life just perfectly. The mystery of Boggs the bodyguard who doesn't really guard was answered the night that Madge came over for wine and Chinese. Madge's father doesn't like her living alone, and her mother, who lived in Chapel Hill while Madge was in High School, now spends most of her time in Raleigh with her father the governor. Boggs was a compromise, so that her father would not have to worry, and she would have someone to call on when she needed to walk home at night from studying. It also gives a good job to a decorated US military veteran, which is good for her father's campaigning.

Katniss is pretty sure that Madge suspects that she and her friends have money, but not that she is a person of interest. After a glass of wine or two Madge admitted her distaste for paparazzi and how she has had to put up with them in the past, Katniss is fairly sure that if Madge did know who she was that her privacy would be respected.

Katniss also discovered that Madge has the same passion for charity work that Katniss does and Madge immediately recruited Katniss for UNC's community service club. Katniss promised to join in the second semester saying that adjusting to life in the states, life at school and that she had several obligations she was already committed to attend in December through early January.

Now Katniss has discovered something else, that Madge knows blue-eyes and that he knows her well enough to hug her in greeting. Katniss was unaware of this fact until this morning when she had met Madge heading to the library that when she suggested that they grab breakfast at her favorite café that it would lead to her sitting at a table with Madge, Cato and Peeta, as she now knows his name to be. Katniss was shocked to know that he knows her favorite order and her variants, then when he said that he knew they were in the same class Katniss was almost speechless that he recognized her.

Listening to him talk and engaging in a conversation with him Katniss feels a little ashamed that she assumed that this man would not be so friendly to her, that he wouldn't notice things about her. His interest in and knowledge of Moravia's art collection surprised her even more. The thing that threw her off balance though was when he touched her, well he shook her hand and Cato's, but the warmth and strength coupled with the shock of electricity was something she had never felt before. Peeta is an enigma to her, all friendliness, conversation, intelligence and warmth, but there is an underlying sadness to him a hard edge that is manifested in his muscles, tattoo and subtle clench of his delicious jaw. There clearly is a story especially when it comes to his mother, she noticed how he tensed and his eyes flashed anger when Madge brought her up.

Now he is inviting her, well not her per se but Katniss, Madge, Cato and her friends to a Halloween party/thing tonight. Part of her wants to go, but another part is unsure, Katniss is certain he wants to go out with Madge and inviting her is the polite thing to do, plus she cannot say yes without checking with her security team first. So, she does what she does best, hedges and replies "I'm not sure," her voice uneasy, "I'll have to check with my friends…"

Katniss watches Peeta, his smile doesn't falter as he stands and dismisses himself, telling them that he and his brother will be at this hob place if they decide to show up. She, Madge and Cato make their way out of the Bakery and head off toward the library, Katniss quietly wondering what kind of costume one wears to these things.

"Oh, it is so good to see Peeta looking so well" Madge says as they hit the sidewalk.

"Was he sick?" Katniss enquires thinking that Peeta really didn't look like he had been sick.

"OH NO, nothing like that" Madge says and then takes a breath and as if she isn't sure how much she should say, "Peeta graduated top of his class academically and was a state champion wrestler, a good athlete and is a really nice guy. He was class president and my mentor when I was elected my freshman year and when he graduated he went off to college to become an Art teacher, he is a really talented artist. It's just… well his dad died four years ago and his mom made Peeta drop out of college. His mom is nasty, always has been a real piece of work. There used to be 6 Mellark Bakery locations around Research Triangle and his family was well off. After his dad died his mom ran them into the ground and Peeta had to watch as his mother destroyed his father's legacy. He grew angry and became a different person, partying, drinking, and screwing around with girls he normally wouldn't like. He bulked up, started boxing and got into fights. It was awful with him acting like someone had hijacked his personality, after about a year he turned himself around, stopped partying, drinking and hanging out with idiots. Somehow, he got the last Bakery from his mom and moved out from under her thumb. He went back to school while running that place all while dealing with a lawsuit against his mom. I am so happy he has finally got his head on his shoulders, he really is one of the nicest guys I know, it also doesn't hurt that he is smoking hot." Madge can talk a mile a minute and Katniss wonders if Madge should even be telling her these things about Peeta and his family.

At the last sentence Katniss wonders if Madge is interested in him, she is probably perfect for him, both of them with their blonde hair and fair skin and friendly smiles. They could be a model couple and have perfect children with their matching smiles. Resigned Katniss plasters on a smile and asks her new friend, "You think this is his way of asking you out?"

"Me?" Madge exclaims and the look of horror on her face is almost as comical as it is a relief. "Nah, I have always been like a little sister to him. And although I do think he is hot, I am not interested. We are way too much alike to…just…no, besides I like 'em dark and mysterious. No offense Cato." Her infectious laugh has Katniss giggling alongside her in no time.

"None taken" answers the grumbly voice bordering on a chuckle.

"Madge" her voice was somewhat nervous as she steels herself to ask, "What does one wear to a Halloween party? Is it like a masquerade ball, where everyone wears masks…or?"

"Ohhh you're going?" Madge tittered at her excitedly.

"I'm not sure I have to check with my friends but…" Katniss turns toward Cato who is following them silently as usual. "Cato, what do you think about the Halloween party? Do you think the others will want to go?" _Will you guys let me go?_ Was what she is silently asking.

"I think I might like to go" Cato starts cautiously, "I've never heard anything bad about the Hob, decent food with a relaxed atmosphere" _The place is not a total safety hazard._ "Let's ask the others if they want to go too." _I don't feel comfortable making this call on my own._

"I'll text you if I am able to come", she says turning to Madge, "But just so that I don't look like a total Halloween novice, what do you plan on wearing?"

Madge screws her face up in thought; Katniss notices that when she did that she still garners attention from the male population around them as they stroll up the steps to the library. "I think I might go as a vampire, easy costume" declares Madge.

Katniss isn't sure what Madge means, a Vampire costume sounds complicated, "Easy costume?"

"Yeah all I need is a tight skirt, adorable shirt, bright red lipstick and a set of plastic fangs from the drug store. Maybe drip some of that fake blood on my chin and clavicle. Most important thing about Halloween costumes when you're our age is to look cute and sexy. But you don't want something elaborate like you are trying too hard."

Katniss soaks up some of Madge's Halloween wisdom before walking to her favorite place to study hidden behind some stacks. Sitting down she whips out her phone and first send a group text to her team asking about tonight and then a second one to Jo and Octavia asking them to figure out an appropriate low-key costume following Madge's guidelines."

"Are you sure this is an appropriate costume?" Katniss nervously asks Octavia for the umpteenth time as she looks around at the remainder of her team that Octavia had already outfitted.

"Of course, your royal highness" Octavia scrunches up her face as she looks over to Katniss. "Sorry, habit. Kat, I have been spending my time with the design crew over at the university auditing a few classes and a few of my class mates were talking about Halloween, so I've been picking their brains since you texted. These are so very American and yet tasteful; most girls wear a lot less. Weirdly Halloween seems to be an excuse for girls and guys to dress like prostitutes."

Katniss looks over and eyes Marvel and Cato who are dresses in identical suites, hats with sunglasses. "They look like bodyguards in movies how is that supposed to hide the fact that they are, won't it be obvious and blow their cover?"

"Nope, they are the blues brothers, from a famous movie. I showed them a clip, so they get the idea. Also, the sunglasses can easily hide their eyes, so they can scan the room easily." Octavia answers, her bubbly voice just bordering on a hint of annoying.

"OK" Katniss responds slowly then looks over at Johanna, in tight ripped jeans and a cutoff flannel shirt, "and Johanna…" she trails off?

"A lumber jack, pretty cool huh, looks like she is carrying a fake ax, but that baby hides a gun, since I cannot get one hidden in her tight outfit anywhere." Octavia smiles innocently as Johanna grins devilishly, clearly pleased at the inch of toned abs the tight flannel shirt is showing.

"And I am a bunny?' Katniss asks clearly confused as to why she is an animal in a long, sexy-yet-tasteful red dress with her hair being blown out in waves a 'la Veronica Lake.

"Jessica Rabbit" corrects Octavia "from the movie who framed Roger Rabbit. She's not really a rabbit but married to one. The ears just take you from Veronica Lake, who the character was modeled after, to Jessica Rabbit and gives it a bit of humor."

Katniss is a little dubious as she looks at herself in the mirror and Octavia must see the doubt in her eyes because she just answers as she swipes on some red gloss on Katniss's lips "Stop it, you look fabulous and it is clever."

"You do look fabulous" Jo starts in. "The dress is perfect, not too tight and with just a little bit of sexy, but still very tasteful."

"Of course, it is" Octavia snapped, "Cinna designed it. Sent me the pattern on email this morning as soon as I called him, didn't take me long to whip it together."

Anxiety left her as soon as Katniss heard that Cinna approved, her would never put her in anything inappropriate. "Thanks Via" she says warmly, and she can even feel her face relaxing into a genuine smile.

As soon as Katniss steps into the Hob she knows her outfit is really very subdued compared to the way other girls are dressed in the laid-back pub. Looking around she spots Peeta and his brother with Madge at a table in the back, quietly observing the crowd. She sees Peeta smile as he waves to her and her friends to come over as he catches their entrance.

"Wow, Kat" Madge exclaims as she greets her with her normal enthusiasm, "you guys made it and in costumes!"

Peeta introduces her and her friends to his older brother Bannock and offers to get drinks for them, but Cato steps in. "Don't worry I got it, the usual Jo, Marvel? Kat what do you want?" Cato, Marvel and Jo won't actually be drinking tonight, it just needs to look like they do, Katniss isn't much of a drinker, beer isn't her thing, neither is wine unless she is eating, but what she does like is expensive.

"Krug 1988, if they have it or Lagavulin, 2 fingers and a splash of water, thanks Cato." Turning back to the group she sees the rest of the table is looking at her curiously. "Sorry not much of a drinker, but I have specific tastes."

"Scotch?' Peeta asks his voice is scratchy like he really can't believe what she just ordered, "you don't really drink but when you do, you drink scotch?"

"It's a sipping drink, I don't like sweet and it is too expensive to drink to excess. More of a savoring drink and my dad likes it." Katniss shrugs her shoulder deflecting the question, since part of that statement is a lie; it really isn't too expensive for the girl that has worn diamonds on her dress.

"Wow" a big smile spreads across his face, one of the ones she has grown to like as she has spied on him over the past two months. "A girl with taste in liquor, we totally have to be friends now, Madge you should take note." Peeta nudges Madge as he points to the sugary concoction that sits in front of her.

The conversation flows smoothly and at one-point Madge gets up to acquire another one of her vodka sugar concoctions and ends up on the dance floor. Cato is across the room, being Cato pretending to drink and having to fend off girls while watching the room and Marvel is flirting with a tall dark-haired man two tables over, leaving Jo, Bannock, Peeta and her at the table. Katniss's eyes flick to see Madge and nameless dark-haired dude getting awful cozy on the dance floor her mind lost in thought.

"How about a dance Jo?" the low southern voice of Bannock rumbles into her conscious as she turns back to the table just in time to see an impish grin flashed at her.

"Sure" Jo counters, "Just as long as Brainless doesn't mind being left here?"

"Johanna" her voice holds a note of warning that Johanna just laughs off as she grabs Bannock's hand and leads him towards the dance floor effectively leaving her alone with Peeta. Not knowing what to say, Katniss picks up her scotch and takes a sip trying to hide her nerves at being left alone with him.

"Soooo", Peeta asks dragging out the word in that sexy southern drawl that makes her swoon internally. His lips curl up into a lazy half smile causing that damned adorable dimple to appear. "Tell me about yourself, Kat."

"What, like what? Why do you want to know about me" she answers shyly and in some sort of Peeta induced stupor?

"Well, now that were friends we should get to know each other." His smile as he responds makes her heart palpate and her brain slow.

"Friends, I…I don't have a lot of friends. I am not good at friends." She replies honestly, there is no way this guy wants to be her friend, Katniss figures he is being nice.

"Of course, you are good at friends." Peeta replies chuckles at her his eyes twinkling, "I have never seen you **without** one of your friends."

"Oh, well I guess so" Katniss responds dumbly while thinking, _that's because they have to be my friend_ , she still is floored that Peeta wants to be her friend. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me the deep stuff" his deep sexy voice answers making her throat instantly dry so that she must take a sip of her drink before he can reply.

"The deep stuff?" she asks nervously tensing up, "Like what?"

"Ohhh, like your favorite color" Peeta's smile grows broad and teasing and his response causes her to relax enough to tease him back.

"Well you've crossed the line with that one" she easily quips back causing him to laugh at her joke and then they both are laughing together.

When they finally settle down he pins her with those beautiful eyes and asks, "No seriously, what is your favorite color?"

"Green" Katniss replies easily, "what's yours?"

"Orange" his reply has her wrinkling her nose as she looks at an orange pumpkin on the dancefloor while raising her eyebrows as if to say, _really orange_?

"Not like the pumpkin out there" he clarifies while chuckling, "a soft orange like one found in the sunset."

Katniss's heart softens as she pictures the color, "ohh that's nice".

They banter back and forth for a few more minutes asking each other banal questions about their classes and about themselves. Katniss likes their interactions it is easy with him, she likes him, but internally she sighs and is a little disappointed at the 'friend' label he easily applied to her.

"I like your costume" Peeta tells her after a few more minutes of light banter. "It is very clever, Jessica Rabbit, I loved the movie."

"Thanks" she replies a little disappointed that he called her costume clever, not sexy or pretty, but he is now her friend. "It was easy, like Madge said it should be." Well easy since Octavia did all the work.

"I like how it is not too over the top" Peeta replies. "I hate it when girls use Halloween as an excuse to wear next to nothing. I mean sexy is fine, but there has to be a line and your costume doesn't cross from sexy to slutty."

Katniss is a little shocked, so she can only nod at him, she is pretty sure he just complimented her. _He called me sexy, in a roundabout sort of way_ , she leaps internally in delight.

"I like your costume too" she answers as she finally gets a hold of her tongue. And she does like his costume; she has been admiring slash drooling over him all night. A tight V-neck white t-shirt that stretches across his biceps, the left sleeve rolled up over what must be a pack of cigarettes revealing his tattoo. His hair is slicked back in the style of the sixties and tight jeans and classic black chucks round out the look. "Very classic James Dean." He looks good and sexy as hell.

"Thanks" he parrots her from before "It was easy" his smile is easy and friendly putting her at ease but igniting her on fire at the same time. Katniss peaks closer at his tattoo and is surprised to find it is not the typical tribal band or barbed wire. It is a vine of flowers that encircles his bicep, but they weren't just any flower.

"Sagittaria fasciculate" she blurts out and then suddenly blushes in embarrassment.

"What" Peeta asks looking at her like she is an idiot, which she is, _idiot_. Then his face softens as he must understand what her stupid brain was trying to say, "oh you mean my tattoo? Yeah, how do you know what kind of flower they are"?

"I am into botany; I am even taking a few classes in it while I am here." Katniss replies as calmly as possible trying to smooth over her mind burp.

"Makes sense" Peeta replies warmly, "not many people know what kind of flower they are let alone the genus name."

"Can I ask, why?" Katniss asks timidly wanting to know why this man that she is so drawn too, has this flower on his arm.

Katniss watches as he tenses up, his eyes wary at first then he sighs running a hand through his hair mussing up his perfect coif. "Well I guess if you are going to be my friend, then you might as well know about my sordid past."

"You don't have to tell me" Katniss blurts out mortified that he looks so sad and a little lost from just a question about his tattoo.

"No, it's OK" Peeta replies as he looks out past her and begins to talk. Katniss listens as he tells her about his upbringing, his abusive mom and his hardworking dad who he and his brothers hid the abuse from. He tells her about his semi-privileged upbringing how he excelled in academics and sports. He tells her about his father's sudden death and how his mom refused to continue to pay for his education and how she made him drop out of college. How his mother started dating younger men and going through his father's money and slowly selling his small empire of bakeries to finance her lifestyle. Peeta's eyes flashed with anger as he talked about his mom and how abandoned he felt by his brother's leaving him alone with his mother to fend for himself.

The story made her angry and protective of him and even though Madge had given her the lowdown before it affected her more when he told it. "That is awful" she found herself saying, "and not sordid at all."

Peeta then sighs and looks at her with his big blue eyes filled with what only she can describe as shame, and then speaks "it is my reaction to what she did that I am not proud of…" Peeta then goes on to talk about how he wallowed in self-pity, became angry and gave up. Hung with the wrong crowd and started partying and sleeping around in defiance of the perfect image his mother wanted to project.

"I was an ass" he said bluntly surprising her, "and I wasn't me. On the one-year anniversary of my father's death I realized I was a mess. I drove to the forest preserve across town, a place where my father and I used to take hikes together to try and get my head on straight. While I was there I saw this flower and I remembered how my father told me it was endangered. Here was this plant trying to maintain its species and growing in adversity. Like what I wanted to do for myself, I was going to thrive in the adverse environment that was my mother. I was determined to be who I was and not let her change me. I got the tattoo to remind myself of who I was and what I wanted to be, it reminds me of hope and of love."

Katniss was speechless listening to him talk so openly about himself and what he had gone through. She hurt for him, but as she listens to him describes how he got his life back on track her hurt turned to pride.

Peeta hoped that telling his story to the girl in front of him wouldn't turn her off from being his friend, and hopefully more later. He watches her expressions as he tells her his story. He saw rage flash through her eyes, then pain, then finally some happiness as he finishes up talking about how he turned himself around. She listens to him, not interrupting and her eyes never portrayed pity. Peeta hates to be pitied, and even though this girl doesn't really know him it is as if she could sense that he doesn't want her pity, but perhaps her understanding.

As he finishes up talking he can feel the heaviness in the air and wants to lighten it back up, so he could see her sparkling silver eyes flash and listen to her enchanting musical laugh. So, he laughs and decides to change the subject and get back to learning about this fabulous and mysterious girl in front of him.

"Enough about me and my sad story" he slaps the table happily, "this is a party and I want to know more about my new friend."

"What else do you want to know?" Peeta notes her small smile and teasing lilt to her voice before her face turns serious and she deadpans, "I mean you already know my deep dark secret, my favorite color."

She makes him laugh, which in turn makes her laugh. Peeta smiles at her and thinks for a second then asks, "What is your full name, what is Kat short for?"

The silver eyed goddess looked panicked for a second and then blurts out, "Katniss".

Peeta is stunned by her response he blinks a few times, he isn't sure what to say to that, _OK_ , he thinks _, she wants to talk about my tattoo again, a little strange but I'll humor her_.

"Yes" he answers with a small smile; "Katniss is the common name for Sagittaria fasciculate, along with duck potato."

"NO" Kat bursts out a look of horror on her face then she starts to stammer at him, her face blushing red. "Kat is short for Katniss…my name…it is Katniss, Katniss Everdeen. Everyone just calls me Kat though; I get too many questions with the name Katniss…" Her voice trails off as he looks at her.

Peeta takes a moment to let her words sink in his brain, this girl…the one he is enamored with is named Katniss. After the same plant that gives him hope and reminds him of love? It's too much and he shakes his head not really believing her, _is she saying this as some sort of joke?_

Katniss must realize where his brain is going, mostly because the whole thing is so highly unlikely and too much of a coincidence as to be an actual thing. He watches her look around and catches Cato's attention, within seconds he is at their table.

"Cato" Kat (or Katniss or whatever this girls name is) says, "Please tell Peeta what my nickname Kat is short for."

"Katniss" Cato says without skipping a beat. Then he turns to Peeta and chuckles, "kind of an unusual name huh? Apparently, her parents like flowers. Her little sister is also named for a flower. Although, you are a Baker and named after bread, so I am sure you're used to repeating your name as well."

Peeta sits there for a moment still in a slight daze, _it's fate_ , he thinks as he shakes his head, _this woman is destined to be my soulmate_. But he doesn't want to scare her off and he has a plan. Peeta wants a relationship with this woman based off of friendship and trust, so step 1 is become friends.

"Wow, now we have to be friends" he smiles at her and then looks up at a confused Cato. Pointing to his tattoo he decides to elucidate the guy who is friends with Katniss and a kind of gate keeper brother protector guy, "these flowers are **katniss** flowers" he says with a gentle smile.

"Woah…Cool" Cato says while smiling, "I never noticed your tattoo before, that's a good rendering of the flower."

"You know what the Katniss flower looks like?" Peeta asks surprised, most people have never even heard of the Katniss flower let alone seen one.

Cato coughs chocking on his drink and turns a little red then recovers, "oh um yeah…I've been friends with Katniss since I was 13 and she was 11. I got curious to see what her namesake looks like."

"Do you have a tattoo?" Peeta asks Cato politely.

"Yes, I do" Cato replies chuckling at him, "I got it the day I was hired for my job, it reminds me of what is most important in my life."

"You never told me that Cato." Katniss interrupts, "we've been friends since I was eleven and you have been in your job for five years." Her astonished voice catches Peeta off guard as he looks over at her the confusion on her face.

"That is because it is located where you will never see your… Kat, well someplace where you will never see." Cato jokes at her but his face is bright red. Peeta likes this interaction; he is hoping that at some point there will be no place on his body that Katniss will never see.

Peeta is shocked as Kat (now known as Katniss) bursts out laughing and then sticks her tongue out at him like a little sister. As they all laugh together his brother and Johanna return to the table sweaty from the dance floor. Peeta notices the easy smile on his face and wonders if something is happening between him and Johanna. He hopes so; Ban deserves some happiness after putting up with the gold digging bitch that was his wife.

The rest of the evening goes wonderfully and the group laughs, dances and has fun and Peeta gets to know his silver eyed goddess and by the end of the night they are all friends.

"I like her Peet" Bannock is telling him as they walk up the stairs to their apartment. "You have good taste; she is sweet, smart and seemingly loyal. She and her friends have been close for years; that means something."

"I really like her, Ban" he replies. "I plan on taking my time with this one, doing it right. Getting to know her and then asking her on a date." He takes a big breath and then looks at his brother warily not sure if he won't laugh at what he has to say next. "I think she might be the one, her real name is Katniss…it is like fate or destiny or something."

Cautiously he watches his brothers face in apprehension but is greeted with a grin. "You know Peet, I'm not one for fairy tales, when the Princess meets her Prince Charming. But I am not going to tell you that this woman isn't special in some way and that fate hasn't brought her across the ocean for you two to meet. I have never seen you so affected by a woman, and I think it means something."

Peeta considers his words carefully a smile dancing on his lips before replying to his brother.

"Now that I know who she is, and we have a chance to be friends, I can only hope she will fall in love with me as I know I am with her."


End file.
